More about Events…

Yesterday evening we hosted a vibrant conversation around Marg Magazine’s recent issue, The Third Side of the Coins. The panel brought together an impressive line-up: renowned numismatist Joe Cribb; Marzbeen Jila, Secretary of the Oriental Numismatic Society; and Robert Bracey, Curator of Asian Numismatics at the British Museum, all contributors to the issue. They were joined by Naman Ahuja, editor of the magazine, for a fascinating discussion on the many non-monetary uses of coins.

One of the highlights for me came from Marzbeen, who shared how Zoroastrian communities in Iran continue to weave coins into everyday traditions – whether as religious offerings, talismans symbolising good wishes for marriages or as embellishments during ordination ceremonies of new priests. Robert Bracey added another layer of intrigue with his story of a coin in India believed to hold magical powers, said to draw fresh rice towards it. The conversation also touched on the present moment: Joe Cribb noted how coins are losing their transactional role in our increasingly digital economy, yet their symbolic, ritualistic, and artistic uses – some of which stretch back centuries – remain remarkably resilient.

What makes this issue of Marg so compelling is that it doesn’t dive into much of the technicalities of numismatic study. Instead, it shines a light on the emotional resonance, religious significance and artistic potential that a tiny little coin can hold– so for me it’s a really accessible and inspiring entry point into a field I once thought was too esoteric to approach. If you are interested, order a copy of the issue from the Marg Foundation here: https://marg-art.org/product/UHJvZHVjdDo1NTMx

And speaking of events, before the Society goes on the Christmas break in one month’s time we have programmed the following events for the coming weeks. Among them, we are particularly looking forward to the lecture delivered by Dr Sandhya Fuchs, co-winner of the inaugural James J. Busuttil Medal and Prize for Human Rights established by Dr Busuttil to promote research and publication on human rights. Dr Fuchs’s lecture will be based on her prize-winning publication Fragile Hope: Seeking Justice for Hate Crimes in India, the accumulation of her long-term research into and fieldwork with marginalised communities in India.

18 November (Tuesday)
Prof Suranjan Das – Transnational Sites of Indian Nationalism: The Cambridge and Oxford Majlis in Anti-Colonial Politics

20 November (Thursday)
Dr Vayu Naidu – The Evergreen Epic: Ramayana as Forest Literature and its Reinventions

20 November (Thursday)
Dr Michelle Damian – Networks of Violence and Trade: Premodern Piracy in Japanese Waters [Hosted by SISJAC, online via Zoom]

27 November (Thursday)
Prof Neil Price – The Vikings and Asia: New Frontiers of the Norse Diaspora

4 December (Thursday)
Dr Sandhya Fuchs – Fragile Hope: Seeking Justice for Hate Crimes in India

11 December (Thursday)
Prof Kikuko Hirafuji – Japanese Mythology Across Cultures: Gods, Encounters, and Global Views

18 December (Thursday)
Susan Whitfield – Nara on the Silk Road [Hosted by SISJAC]

For event details, please visit this page: https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-events/

James Liu