Dr Matteo Miele
Matteo Miele is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Florence and an Affiliated Associate Professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) of Kyoto University. Between August 2011 and July 2012, he was a Lecturer at the Sherubtse College, Royal University of Bhutan. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pisa in 2014. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland since 2011.
How did you first hear of the Society?
As a teenager, reading about the history of British India, the Royal Asiatic Society was constantly mentioned in books and articles. It was already a familiar presence.
What encouraged you to join?
I decided to submit the application while I was in Bhutan as a lecturer at Sherubtse College. The year before, I had started my doctorate at the University of Pisa on the history and institutions of Asia. After several years, personal interests in the world of Asian studies were more seriously shaping my academic path and my true professional goal. Joining the Society seemed like a natural step on this journey.
What would you say are the benefits of being a fellow of the RAS?
I am always happy and proud to be a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. It is an extraordinary world. When I had the opportunity to speak to the Society in the 2014 Student Series presenting my doctoral research, it was a precious moment in terms of studies, but also an opportunity to meet many scholars and students. It is a network of passionate, enthusiastic, and curious people. Exchanging ideas, advice, and information with them, even remotely, makes you feel part of a wonderful organization. When I meet or read about another fellow, even from the past, I immediately think “she/he’s one of us”.
What is your favourite item from the RAS collections?
The personal papers held by the Royal Asiatic Society are invaluable to a historian. Specifically, I hope in the future to find time to study the Papers of Alan Charles Trott carefully.