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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260709T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260709T203000
DTSTAMP:20260702T152229Z
CREATED:20260616T114428Z
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SUMMARY:Blood Dawn Book Launch : Hans van de Ven in-conversation with Brendan Simms
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text css=””] \nAbout the Book\nIn the early twentieth century\, from India to China\, Western imperial powers dominated Asia. Then\, in the 1930s\, Japan began to tear down this old order in pursuit of its own imperial ambitions – first by invading China\, and then by launching its assault against British\, Dutch\, and American outposts across Asia and the Pacific in December 1941. \nAs Japanese forces seized vast swaths of territory and pressed toward India\, the brutal fighting cost millions of lives across the continent. Simultaneously\, the war’s chaos and suffering supercharged anti-colonial movements from British India to Dutch Indonesia. Ultimately\, it was the charismatic leaders of these movements – Mao\, Nehru\, Sukarno – who built the new Asia of independent nation-states that emerged in the war’s bloody wake. \nDrawing on deep archival research across continents\, leading historian Hans van de Ven tells the dramatic story of how Asia’s people mobilized to defeat both Japanese aggression and European imperialism\, forging modern Asia in the process. \nHans van de Ven urges readers to see the Asia as absolutely central to World War II\, rather than a peripheral (to Europe) battle zone. He argues that the real dates of WWII were 1937 (outbreak of Japan-China war) and 1955 with the conference at Bandung. \nHe shows how a modern Asia of sovereign nation-states came into being during and after WWII\, how the fight against colonialism was tightly bound to the war\, ultimately breaking European hegemony; and how it established the US as a vital power in the Pacific. \n  \nAbout the Author\nHans van de Ven is a professor of modern Chinese history at Cambridge University and a visiting chair professor in history at Peking University. He is the author or editor of ten previous books on Chinese history and the history of warfare. A fellow of the British Academy\, he lives in Meldreth\, UK. \nBrendan Simms is a professor in the history of international relations and fellow at Peterhouse College\, Cambridge. He is the author of nine books  including Hitler’s American Gamble and Europe. His most recent publication\, entitled The Return of the Great Powers\, is a sweeping study of the past\, present\, and future of the Great Powers\, revealing the new rules of global leadership. He lives in Cambridge\, UK. \n  \nFree and open to all. In-person and online. \nRegister here to join online.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/blood-dawn-book-launch-with-hans-van-de-ven/
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260728T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260728T183000
DTSTAMP:20260716T091304Z
CREATED:20260708T092509Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260716T091304Z
UID:25211-1785263400-1785263400@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:John Guy - The Buddha and the Jewel-Filled Casket: Piprahwa and Relic Practices in Early North India
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text css=””] \nAbout the Talk\nThe excavation of the Piprahwa relics in January\, 1898 – the most important Buddhist relic deposit ever recovered in India – immediately sparked enormous interest across the Buddhist world. Piprahwa stupa is located in northern Uttar Pradesh close to Lumbini\, the site of the historical Buddha’s birthplace in western Nepal.  The Piprahwa relics included the first reliquary inscription to credibly claim that it contained the remains of Sakyamuni Buddha. The speaker will examine this unique cache of sacred objects in the context of early Buddhist relic worship and emerging pan-Indian practices of honoring the Buddha. \nAbout the Speaker\nJohn Guy is the Florence and Herbert Irving Curator of the Arts of South and Southeast Asia at The Metropolitan Museum of Art\, New York\, an elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries\, London (2003) and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2016). He served as Senior Curator for South Asia at the Victoria & Albert Museum for 24 years before joining The Met in 2008. He has curated numerous international exhibitions and has published widely\, including The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India (co-curator\, LACMA-V&A\, 1994)\, Chola\, Sacred Bronzes of Southern India (co-curator\, Royal Academy\, 2006)\, Temple Sculpture of India: The Art of Devotion (La Caixa Foundation\, Barcelona\, 2007)\, Shipwrecked. Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds (co-curator\, Smithsonian D.C.\, 2010)\, and a suite of major international exhibitions and accompanying publications at The Met: The World of Kubilai Khan. The Art of Mongol China (co-curator 2010)\, Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India (2011)\, Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade 1500-1800 (co-curator 2013)\, Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia (2014) and Tree & Serpent. Early Buddhist Art in India\, 200 BCE – 400 CE (2023). \nFree and open to all. \nTo join online\, register here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/john-guy-the-buddha-and-the-jewel-filled-casket-piprahwa-and-relic-practices-in-early-north-india/
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:20260922T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260923T170000
DTSTAMP:20260730T081957Z
CREATED:20260729T144129Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260730T081957Z
UID:25279-1790082000-1790182800@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Aurel Stein Archives and Collections Conference: Ongoing and New Research
DESCRIPTION:Archives and collections relating to the archaeological work in Asia of Sir Marc Aurel Stein (1862–1943) are housed in institutions worldwide\, in particular the UK\, Hungary\, India\, Pakistan\, China and the USA. Stein’s reports\, specialist catalogues of the collections\, his extensive correspondence\, diaries and photographs remain key resources in multiple fields. Foundational work since the 1990s has documented and catalogued most of these important collections\, with digitisation projects making them widely accessible and relevant in new avenues of research. This conference aims to bring together an international group of curators and scholars from across Europe\, Asia and North America with working knowledge of the Stein archives and collections\, to share their most recent research as we prepare to update The Handbook to the Collections of Sir Aurel Stein in the UK (1999\, revised and expanded 2008). \nPublic lecture on the evening of Tuesday the 22nd\, 6:30-8 pm. \nTea and coffee will be provided throughout both days\, and lunch will be provided on Wednesday the 23rd. \nIn-person tickets are £10\, available here. \nFor online attendance\, please register for each of the following Zoom webinars: \nStein Conference Day 1 \nStein Conference Day 2: Morning \nStein Conference Day 2: Afternoon
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/aurel-stein-archives-and-collections-conference-ongoing-and-new-research-2/
LOCATION:Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre\, 14 Stephenson Way\, London\, NW1 2HD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260922T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260922T203000
DTSTAMP:20260817T102246Z
CREATED:20260713T135307Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T102246Z
UID:25330-1790101800-1790109000@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Professor Susan Whitfield: Aurel Stein\, female friends and changing worlds
DESCRIPTION:Image caption: Aurel Stein (right) in Lahore with colleagues and friends Fred and Alice Andrews (left) and Percy and Helen Allen\, the last with Stein’s dog\, Dash. 1897. Courtesy: Cambridge University.\nAbout the Talk\nIn 1920 Ella Sykes became the second female secretary of the Royal Asiatic Society\, succeeding Elinor Hull. Their appointments were indicative of ongoing changes over several decades in academic and professional opportunities available to European women\, not only in Europe but also wider afield\, including British India. Aurel Stein\, an outsider who likewise had to fight for his own opportunities in British society\, had several women among his closest circle of friends. The women are distinguished—as are his male friends— by their strong characters\, intelligence\, sympathy and interests: indeed\, he wrote that he valued one such friendship ‘higher as an honour than membership of Academies.’ Here I look at some of these women\, as they provide a snapshot of the interests and achievements of women at this time\, particularly in Asian travel\, work and study. \nAbout the Speaker\nProfessor of Silk Road Studies at the Sainsbury Institute for Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC)\, UEA\, Susan Whitfield has worked on the Stein collections for over three decades. She curated his collections at the British Library\, carried out field work in many of his excavation sites\, organised major exhibitions\, and has written numerous books and articles. \n  \nFree and open to all. \nTo join online\, please register here.
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/professor-susan-whitfield-aurel-stein-female-friends-and-changing-worlds/
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260924T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260924T200000
DTSTAMP:20260811T094842Z
CREATED:20260803T114214Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T094842Z
UID:25288-1790272800-1790280000@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Simon Layton Book Launch - Piratical States: British Imperialism in the Indian Ocean World c.1780-1850
DESCRIPTION:About the Book\nWho had the right to rule the seas – and who could be condemned as a pirate? Ranging across the Indian Ocean world\, from India and the Persian Gulf to maritime Southeast Asia\, Piratical States explores how British officials developed and deployed accusations of piracy to delegitimise Indigenous authority\, justify military intervention\, and expand the reach of empire in the early nineteenth century. \nThis event will be chaired by Dr Sunil Purushotham\, in discussion with Dr David Veevers and Professor Richard Drayton. \nAbout the Speakers\nDr Simon Layton is Senior Lecturer in Global History at Queen Mary University of London\, where he researches and teaches on imperial\, global\, and oceanic history\, specialising in sea power\, piracy\, and maritime trade. His book\, Piratical States: British Imperialism in the Indian Ocean World\, c. 1780-1850\, explores the role of piracy in the expansion of British imperial power in Asia\, and is published by Cambridge University Press. \nDr Sunil Purushotham is Associate Professor of History\, has been teaching at Fairfield University.  A historian of modern South Asia\, his research focuses on the history of sovereignty and democracy in India\, Indian political thought\, and global intellectual history. His book\, From Raj to Republic: Sovereignty\, Violence and Democracy in India was published by Stanford University Press in 2021. He teaches courses on modern South Asia\, histories of colonialism and decolonisation\, and global intellectual history.  He currently serves as the Director of the Humanities Institute and the Director of Asian Studies at Fairfield. \nDr David Veevers is Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Bangor\, where he researches and teaches on colonial\, global\, and early modern history\, specialising in the history of the English East India Company and\, more recently\, English colonisation of the Caribbean. His forthcoming book\, Where the Manchineel Trees Grow\, tells the story of the first English family to establish a slave plantation in the Caribbean\, and will be published with Icon Books in late 2027. \n  \nFree and open to all.
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/simon-layton-book-launch-piratical-states-british-imperialism-in-the-indian-ocean-world-c-1780-1850/
LOCATION:Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre\, 14 Stephenson Way\, London\, NW1 2HD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261001T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261001T200000
DTSTAMP:20260812T114145Z
CREATED:20260803T140633Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260812T114145Z
UID:25291-1790879400-1790884800@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Christoph Baumer and Therese Weber: Rock Art and its Legacy in Myth and Art
DESCRIPTION:About the book\nPetroglyphs are since the Upper Palaeolithic one of the oldest types of human visual expression. They not only reflect societal and economic adaptations to climate and environmental changes but also encapsulate the worldviews\, myths and rituals that were prevalent at the time. As climate dramatically changed since the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene Climatic Optimum and again to a renewed climatic cooling and gradual desiccation\, fauna\, flora and humans had to adapt. These changes are recorded in petroglyphs. Regarding pre-literate societies\, they represent\, together with archaeology\, one of the most informative sources to gain insights in bygone cultures. The makers of petroglyphs were masters of abstraction\, using the simplest of tools to capture the essence of a wide variety of animals\, humans and objects\, and to depict complex scenes. In this sense\, petroglyphs are pieces of ancient art. In spite of their great antiquity\, petroglyphs regained in the last decades in topicality as contemporary artists find in them inspiration and a means to gain access to their own cultural heritage. \nThe illustrated lecture is related to Christoph Baumer’s and Therese Weber’s recent book Rock Art and its Legacy in Myth and Art (Bloomsbury) which is the result of thirty years of petroglyph research in Central Asia\, Scandinavia\, Arabia and the Sahara. \nAbout the authors\nChristoph Baumer is the founder of the Society for the Exploration of EurAsia\, as well as a historian and explorer of ancient cultures and petroglyphs of Central Asia\, the Caucasus and Arabia. His main publications include The History of Central Asia in 4 volumes (2012-2018) and The History of the Caucasus in 2 volumes (2021/2024). \nTherese Weber is Professor emerita at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland. As artist and researcher\, she is a key protagonist of Paper Art. She weaves paintings\, photography and performative actions into an innovative visual means of expression. Her publication\, The Language of Paper (2007)\, became a standard reference work. \n  \nFree and open to all at 14 Stephenson Way\, NW1 2HD. \nTo join online\, please register here.
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/christoph-baumer-and-therese-weber-rock-art-and-its-legacy-in-myth-and-art/
LOCATION:Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre\, 14 Stephenson Way\, London\, NW1 2HD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261014T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261014T203000
DTSTAMP:20260811T102838Z
CREATED:20260804T115416Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T102838Z
UID:25298-1792002600-1792009800@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Performing Beauty Film Screening
DESCRIPTION:About the film\nPerforming Beauty | سماع قلم is a documentary in seven movements exploring the aesthetic\, spiritual\, and cultural significance of the Persian calligraphic script Nasta‘līq. Blending evocative imagery\, poetry\, and the voices of artists\, scholars\, and designers\, the film traces Nasta‘līq’s unfolding from its origins in Persian verse to its enduring presence in contemporary art and design. Structured as a visual poem rather than a linear narrative\, the film invites viewers to experience calligraphy as presence — rhythmical\, layered\, and contemplative — revealing how a script born of poetry became a symbol of cultural identity\, beauty\, and resilience. \nPerforming Beauty has had previous screenings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York\, Khaneh Cinema in Tehran and Goldman Sachs Americas Muslim Forum in both New York and Dallas. \nAbout the director\nMehran Haghighi is an Iranian-American filmmaker\, producer\, and co-founder of Homa Films. He is dedicated to creating films that explore the artistic\, cultural\, historical\, and spiritual heritage of the Persian and Persianate world for international audiences. \nHis producing credits include the acclaimed feature films Djomeh\, winner of the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000\, and Bab’Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul. He also produced the documentary Of Kings and Paintings\, which explores the visual culture of Qajar Iran and is widely used by museums\, libraries\, and universities. \nHis latest film\, Performing Beauty | سماع قلم\, examines the story\, aesthetics\, and contemporary life of Persian Nasta’liq calligraphy. \n\nPraise for Performing Beauty\n“A visually meditative experience.” – Video Librarian \n“The art form as actively negotiated.” – EMRO \n  \nFree and open to all. \nPlease note\, this event is in-person only and will not be available online.
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/performing-beauty-film-screening/
LOCATION:Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre\, 14 Stephenson Way\, London\, NW1 2HD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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