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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251009T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251009T203000
DTSTAMP:20250925T150713Z
CREATED:20250802T155354Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250925T150713Z
UID:22149-1760034600-1760041800@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Prof Tirthankar Roy - Building a state in late-18th century India: Revisiting the Permanent Settlement debate
DESCRIPTION:“The principle on which [Akbar] secured his conquest was [to show regard] to the right of the Zemindars\, the ancient proprietors of the soil\,” said Philip Francis in 1777. Disagreeing radically\, his rival and critic Warren Hastings said that “much the greatest part of the Zemindars… are incapable of judging or acting for themselves\, being either minors\, or men of weak understandings\, or absolute idiots.” \nTwo statesmen in charge of building a state in Bengal made these conflicting comments about the zamindar\, a magnate in the countryside. Their debate reveals the complicated nature of the statebuilding project in Bengal at that time\, with limited trust in indigenous institutions and intermediaries and yet limited power to supersede these. The talk will discuss this debate and suggest how we should read institutional reforms in early-colonial India. \n  \nFree and open to all at 14 Stephenson Way\, NW1 2HD \nTo join us online email: mb@royalasiaticsociety.org
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/prof-tirthankar-roy-title-tbc/
LOCATION:Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre\, 14 Stephenson Way\, London\, NW1 2HD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Roy-Poster_Page_1-e1758667573260-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251016T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251016T190000
DTSTAMP:20250926T082238Z
CREATED:20250802T160009Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T082238Z
UID:23031-1760637600-1760641200@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:(Japan Series) Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere - The Art of Manga
DESCRIPTION:Register here \nOnline lecture via Zoom.\n50 min lecture followed by Q&A.\nFree and open to all\, booking essential.\nTo check your time zone conversion if you are joining from outside the UK\, click here. \nIf you have limited access to the internet but would still like to view the lecture\, please email sisjac@sainsbury-institute.org or call us on +44 (0) 1603 597507 to book to attend our livestream from 64 The Close.  \nThis lecture forms part of the Japan Studies: Past\, Present and Future series in collaborations with the Royal Asiatic Society\, and the Courtauld Institute of Art. \nSpeaker\nProfessor Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere (Research Director\, Sainsbury Institute) \nAbout the Talk\nInternational enthusiasm for manga and anime is at an all-time high. Manga has finally established itself as part of the mainstream culture in the United States\, with sales of print manga titles in the U.S. increasing 27 times faster than those in the conventional book industry in the USA. In Europe\, manga has long been recognised as a powerful form of visual graphic expression. Britain\, however\, has traditionally been a bit slower in its embrace of manga. Bucking this trend in 2019\, the British Museum held one of the most ambitious exhibitions on manga\, focusing on its history\, range\, and impact. Featuring over 50 artists from past to present\, the Citi Manga exhibition attempted to contextualise and as well as capture the power of manga. Happily\, the exhibition was a confirmed success with record visitor numbers\, attracting new diverse audiences to the museum. \nSix years later\, the de Young Museum\, part of the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco in the United States is currently hosting a very different manga exhibition featuring the art of manga drawings (genga) highlighting 10 manga artists (mangaka). With a total of 689 individual works on display\, this exhibition is one of the most ambitious one to showcase this important art form. Working with the artists\, multiple Japanese publishers\, and various stakeholders to create this exhibition was instructive. This lecture will introduce the Art of Manga and explore the lessons learned and possibilities for the future. \nAbout the Speaker\nNicole Coolidge Rousmaniere\, Ph.D.\, is the founding Director and currently the Research Director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures and Professor of Japanese Art and Culture at the University of East Anglia\, Norwich UK. She wrote Vessels of Influence: China and the Birth of Porcelain in Medieval and Modern Japan with Bloomsbury Academic in 2012 and translated Professor Tsuji Nobuo’s A History of Art in Japan with Tokyo University Press in 2018\, re-issued by Columbia University Press in 2020\, among numerous other publications. She was the lead curator for the Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan exhibition in 2007 featuring Moriguchi Kunihiko and his father’s yuzen kimono\, and the Citi Exhibition Manga マンガ in 2019\, both held at the British Museum where she was curator from 2008-2019. She is currently curator of a large art of manga exhibition\, The Art of Manga\, on display at the de Young Museum\, San Francisco\, from 27 September 2025 to 25 January 2026. She was made the Tottori Prefecture furusato ambassador in 2021. \n  \nImage: ©︎ Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan; ©︎ PAPIER/Jirō Taniguchi\, Masayuki Qusumi\, FUSOSHA; ©︎ Mari Yamazaki\, Tori Miki/Shinchosha; ©︎ Hirohiko Araki & LUCKY LAND  COMMUNICATIONS/Shueisha; ©︎ Kazumi Yamashita/KODANSHA LTD.; ©︎ Fujio Akatsuka; ©︎ Gengoroh Tagame/Futabasha Publishers Ltd.; ©︎ Fumi Yoshinaga/HAKUSENSHA\, Inc.; “Hinemosu notari nikki” ©︎ Tetsuya Chiba/Big Comic (Shogakukan); ©︎ Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/sisjac-nicole-coolidge-rousmaniere-the-art-of-manga/
LOCATION:SISJAC (Online)\, The Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures\, Norwich\, NR1 4DH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251021T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251021T200000
DTSTAMP:20250925T150802Z
CREATED:20250803T115408Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250925T150802Z
UID:23037-1761069600-1761076800@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:(Japan Series) Rosina Buckland and Alexander Owen - TBC: Conservation and installation project of a Japanese bodhisattva
DESCRIPTION:Further details TBC \n  \nSainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC) \n64 The Close \nNorwich NR1 4DH \nsisjac@sainsbury-institute.org \n  \nThe Courtauld Institute of Art \nVernon Square \nPenton Rise \nLondon WC1X 9EW \nSujatha.Meegama@courtauld.ac.uk
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/rosina-buckland-and-alexander-owen-tbc-conservation-and-installation-project-of-a-japanese-bodhisattva/
LOCATION:The Courtauld\, Vernon Square\, Penton Rise\, London\, WC1X 9EW\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251022T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251022T203000
DTSTAMP:20250925T150832Z
CREATED:20250804T155525Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250925T150832Z
UID:22151-1761157800-1761165000@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Dr Liz Driver - Elphinstone\, Malcolm and the Wellesleys: An Introduction to Central India in the Early 19th Century
DESCRIPTION:The first decades of the 19th century have been described as the “golden age of English rule” “a brief but glorious interregnum between eighteenth century corruption and nineteenth century complacency”. This was the age of Elphinstone and Malcolm in Central India and Bombay\, Tod in Rajputana and Munro in Madras. All were Scots\, with the impressive ability to combine military\, political and diplomatic roles with literary and linguistic skills. All worked hard to restore order and prosperity in the aftermath of the Anglo-Maratha and Pindari wars and believed that there should not be excessive interference by the now paramount power in the running of the native states and in their judicial systems. They were opposed to colonisation and to attempts to convert to Christianity and\, above all\, believed that Indians should be educated to govern their own country when the English left\, as they should and inevitably would. Their views on the need for education and the role of the state in funding it were at least a decade ahead of the government at home\, where it was only just being recognised that the state had a duty to see that its citizens could read and write. \n  \nInevitably\, the accusation of orientalism has been made against them and it is argued that their interpretation of Indian culture and history was distorted by their Scottish enlightenment “cultural luggage”. This talk looks at the achievements–and failures-of Elphinstone and Malcolm in Central India following the expansion of East India Company territory under Governor-General Richard Wellesley and the military successes of his brother Arthur\, the future Duke of Wellington. It examines the characters of the men and the influence that had on the way they fulfilled their various roles\, including\, in both cases\, that of Governor of Bombay. \n  \nFree and open to all at 14 Stephenson Way\, NW1 2HD \nTo join us online email: mb@royalasiaticsociety.org
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/dr-liz-driver-elphinstone-malcolm-and-the-wellesleys-an-introduction-to-central-india-in-the-early-19th-century/
LOCATION:Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre\, 14 Stephenson Way\, London\, NW1 2HD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251023T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251023T203000
DTSTAMP:20250925T150850Z
CREATED:20250805T155959Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250925T150850Z
UID:22153-1761244200-1761251400@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Prof. Usha Vijailakshmi - Stewards of Heritage: The Asiatic Society of Mumbai’s Legacy and Contemporary Role
DESCRIPTION:Founded in 1804 by James Mackintosh\, the Asiatic Society of Mumbai was envisioned as both a research body and a library\, dedicated to advancing knowledge of the East in fields ranging from Sanskrit studies and history to geology\, botany\, and medicine. At a time when Bombay lacked institutions of higher learning\, the Society became a hub of intellectual exchange\, sustained by British administrators\, Indian scholars\, and local patrons. Over two centuries\, it has amassed a vast collection of manuscripts\, coins\, inscriptions\, and rare books\, while also shaping public intellectual life through lectures and publications. \nYet today\, the Society faces pressing challenges: financial constraints\, administrative pressures\, and the delicate balance of autonomy with state obligations. Despite these hurdles\, it continues to catalogue\, conserve\, and engage the public\, striving to uphold its relevance in a rapidly changing academic and cultural landscape. This talk examines the Society’s enduring significance and the formidable challenges it faces in sustaining its legacy. \n  \nFree and open to all at 14 Stephenson Way\, NW1 2HD \nTo join us online email: mb@royalasiaticsociety.org
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/prof-usha-vijailakshmi-stewards-of-heritage-the-asiatic-society-of-mumbais-legacy-and-contemporary-role/
LOCATION:Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre\, 14 Stephenson Way\, London\, NW1 2HD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251027T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251027T203000
DTSTAMP:20250925T192022Z
CREATED:20250806T224736Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250925T192022Z
UID:22998-1761589800-1761597000@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Jochen Sokoly: Textiles of the Early Islamic Caliphates
DESCRIPTION:A collection of precious inscribed or decorated Islamic textiles produced before the thirteenth century CE\, many published here for the first time. \nThe al-Sabah Collection\, Kuwait\, includes a remarkable array of textiles from the Islamic world\, ranging widely in form\, function\, and place of origin. Textiles of the Early Islamic Caliphates focuses on a group of tiraz and tiraz-style textiles produced before the thirteenth century CE\, mainly in the central Islamic lands. \nTiraz textiles—the word tiraz can be traced back to the Persian word for “embroidery”—were highly valued in the early Islamic world. Inscribed with sacred invocations and the name of the ruling caliph\, together with information relating to their year of manufacture\, these textiles provide an invaluable window into the political\, administrative\, and religious life of early Islam\, as well as various traditions of textile production. The large majority of the surviving fragments of tiraz textiles\, which were originally given as robes of honor to courtiers and ambassadors\, have been found in Egyptian tombs: most of the textiles examined in this book once belonged to burial outfits from the diverse religious communities in Egypt during the early Islamic period. \nFeaturing more than 180 textiles from The al-Sabah Collection\, some never published before\, this book provides authoritative analysis not only of the textiles themselves\, but also of the historical and cultural context in which they were produced. With hundreds of illustrations\, including specially commissioned macrophotography\, Textiles of the Early Islamic Caliphates is a landmark publication that will appeal to scholars and general readers alike. \nJochen Sokoly is associate professor of art history of the Islamic world at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar. He has published on early Islamic inscribed textiles\, served as cochair of the Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium\, and curated exhibitions on contemporary Middle Eastern art. \n  \n\nFree and open to all at 14 Stephenson Way\, NW1 2HD \nTo join us online email: mb@royalasiaticsociety.org
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/jochen-sokoly-textiles-of-the-early-islamic-caliphates/
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Jochen-Sokoly.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251028T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251028T203000
DTSTAMP:20250925T151242Z
CREATED:20250807T160221Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250925T151242Z
UID:22155-1761676200-1761683400@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Prof Scott Redford - The Medieval Period:  Bilkent University Excavations at  Kinet Höyük\, Hatay\, Turkey
DESCRIPTION:This study\, focusing on the Rum Seljuk dynasty in thirteenth-century Anatolia\, combines local history\, geography\, art history\, and archaeology to examine instances of an only partially understood garden tradition in one corner of the medieval Mediterranean. Gardens\, and their architecture\, have been neglected\, not only because of the paucity of remains\, the architecture they inspired was not monumental and relied strongly on a sense of place\, and a sensitivity to the landscape. This book attempts to recover a measure of that sense and that landscape\, as well as the activities that endowed them with meaning for those that enjoyed them. \n  \nFree and open to all at 14 Stephenson Way\, NW1 2HD \nTo join us online email: mb@royalasiaticsociety.org
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/professor-scott-redford-book-launch-landscape-and-the-state-in-medieval-anatolia-seljuk-gardens-and-pavilions-of-alanya/
LOCATION:Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre\, 14 Stephenson Way\, London\, NW1 2HD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251030T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251030T203000
DTSTAMP:20250925T151321Z
CREATED:20250808T160320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250925T151321Z
UID:22157-1761849000-1761856200@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Prof. Peter Clift - Societal Development in Asia and its links to Evolving Climate and Rivers
DESCRIPTION:The strength of the Asian monsoon has varied over timescales spanning millions to thousands of years and even decades. Climate records stored in lakes\, caves and marine sediments now allow its reconstruction with unprecedented precision. Since around 10\,000 years ago changes in monsoon intensity have impacted the development and then demise of civilisations across Asia especially those located on the edge of the monsoon system. The Indus Valley Civilization is a good example of a culture that developed when the monsoon was stronger\, then responded to the slowly drying climate before eventually dissipating\, leading to the abandonment of their cities. It is largely through agriculture that the monsoon control is recognised. Other examples of societal crises brought on by climate change include Angkor Wat but also the Ming and Song dynasties in China. Strong monsoons appear to have allowed the Mongol conquest of Eurasia in the 13th century. Future warming of the climate is expected to result in stronger monsoons but also more stormy conditions which are also not connected to productive agriculture. Some areas like northern China are predicted to become drier. The monsoons furthermore fuel the large rivers of Asia which have been critical to the development of major urban centres across the continent in the historical and prehistorical past. Climate changes also affecting the track of typhoons in the Western Pacific with fewer going into the South China Sea and towards Vietnam and more moving to the north-east towards central China and Japan. The future prosperity of Asia is also threatened by rising sea levels\, particularly in southeast Asia and eastern China. Understanding how people adjusted to claim a change in the historical and archaeological past is important for developing effective strategies for dealing with current and  future changes. \nPeter Clift has been a professor in the Department of Earth sciences at University College London since 2023. He previously worked at a variety of institutes in the US and the UK and has been a sabbatical or visiting researcher in India and China. He has been a visiting professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences\, South China Sea Institute for Oceanology for 20 years. Clift did his BA at the University of Oxford and a PhD at the University of Edinburgh. He is most well known for his work on the origin and development of the Asian monsoon and has used sediments preserved in the seas around Asia to look at the evolution of landscape with the impact of climate change and human settlement being of particular focus. He has a special interest in the Indus Valley Civilisation and the interactions of the Indus river and Thar Desert system with the human history of South Asia. Clift is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union as well as the Geological Society of America and in 2023 he was awarded the Lyell medal by the Geological Society of London. In 2024 he was Jubilee Chair Professor at the Indian Academy of Sciences and this year holds a Chinese Academy of Science President’s International Fellowship. \n  \nFree and open to all at 14 Stephenson Way\, NW1 2HD \nTo join us online email: mb@royalasiaticsociety.org
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/prof-peter-clift-societal-development-in-asia-and-its-links-to-evolving-climate-and-rivers/
LOCATION:Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre\, 14 Stephenson Way\, London\, NW1 2HD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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