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Roxanna Brealey, Editor-in-Chief, History & Politics. SOAS University has fallen 27 places in the Guardian 2026 University rankings, resulting in an overall institutional score of 39.5/100. The Guardian University league table compares 123 universities, SOAS now ranks in position 117. This is a significant decline in position from
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Anonymous On the 9th of December 2024, the 20th Central Committee Politburo of the CCP held its 18th collective study session, presided over by Xi Jinping. During this meeting, XI reiterated his vision for an ethnically harmonious state. Stating that his party has to focus on “continu[ing] to deepen
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Camilla Taylor, Junior Reporter, BA International Relations Is left-wing politics losing relevance in the face of rising right-wing populism? In recent years, far-right populism has surged across the continent, reshaping national debates, redefining political parties, and challenging the once dominant left. From Ger many to Italy, the far right has
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Roxanna Brealey, Senior Sub-Editor, BA History and Politics Malcolm Caldwell joined SOAS University as a history lecturer in 1959 until his death in 1978. Caldwell appeared to be a pretty typical SOAS lecturer with appraisals across the board. A former student of his, Ian Brown, claimed that he was ‘loved
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Jacob Winter, Senior Staff Writer, BA Politics and International Relations SOAS has long been recognised for its expertise in Asian and African studies, offering some of the most knowledgeable academics in these fields. Many of these scholars came directly from the British colonial service, which possessed some of the few
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Kenza Bajjar, BA Politics and International Relations Politicians have, historically, always had a bad reputation. Deceitful, corrupt, and conniving, more often than not in media, they’ve been portrayed in the role of the villain—using bureaucracy and their position of power to prevent the realisation of justice. Despite their,
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Jack Samuel Griffin, MA Middle Eastern Studies Translator’s Note Liquid Skies is initially a story about a family, tracing its genealogy from rural French bourgeoisie to cosmopolitan Parisian intelligentsia. Our protagonist is the embodied representation of this displacement: throughout their adolescence, they were sent abroad by their parents to
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Jack Waldo Peirce, MA Middle Eastern Studies Those familiar with my writing (namely, my grandfather and the generous souls who kindly support my Substack page) will be aware that my articles are never bereft of attempts at humour—normally of the underwhelming, self-deprecating variety. The subject about which I concern
Anon Yu Henrikson, Features Editor, BA International Relations & Korean Take a walk around London and you are almost guaranteed to see some of them. Men dressed in brightly coloured jackets, racing through the streets on speedy bicycles. However, despite their colorful gear and high speed, the food delivery riders
Anonymous “In addiction, there’s no room for love – not even for yourself.” This was expressed in an interview by a person who had experienced addiction. As the child of a person who actively struggles with addiction, my parental relationship has been troubled and strenuous. Endless curiosities surrounding his prioritisation
Majidah Chowdhury, Junior Reporter, BA International Relations Why do we need to recycle and be more mindful of our energy usage? Why do we need to make efforts to travel more sustainably and conserve water? Why do we need to reduce our waste and make more eco-friendly food choices? The
Tumininu Peters, SOAS News Editor, BA Politics & International Relations For decades, SOAS has been known for its radical politics, decolonial teaching, and student activism. Once a bastion for colonial training, with alumni like Enoch Powell, it later earned a reputation as a “woke” university, attracting students to its unique,
Gabriel Mullins, Culture Editor, BA History & Nicholas Pratley, BA History Despite its importance to SOAS’ institutional life, open space at the university is rarely talked about. Whilst our academic buildings have gradually encroached onto Bloomsbury’s lawns and gardens, the history of open space at SOAS has not been
Matthew McMahon, BSc Politics, Philosophy, Economics For as long as Britain has existed, social class has been everywhere. Indeed, a frantic obsession with a lust for superiority has allowed for the class system to ooze into every part of public and private life - over time gaining a chokehold on
Matthew O’Regan, Junior Reporter, BA Global Liberal Arts On the 8th of August 2014 the Irish Times ran a viral article titled ‘British Urgently Want the Blood of Irish People’ about an NHS blood donation outreach scheme. The viral article prompted an official response from NHS Blood and Transplant
Anisah Mahamoud, Co-Deputy Editor, BA International Relations For more than two decades, Bashar al-Assad ruled Syria with an iron fist, presiding over one of the most brutal conflicts of the 21st century. Once seen as a potential reformer, Assad’s reign instead became synonymous with repression, war crimes, and the
By Jova Bostanci, LLM Human Rights, Conflict and Justice “Statistically 7 women in Turkey are ‘savagely killed’ by current or ex-spouses in a single day” This statistic, reported by Turkish television station Habertürk, reflects a terrifying reality for women and girls in Turkey. Violence against women in Turkey is not
By Barty Roberts, Editor-in-Chief, BA Politics and International Relations Adam, a third year BA History Student, has begun a hunger strike until he is reinstated as a SOAS Student. He has been suspended for nearly two years as a result of his various protests in support of the Palestinian people.
By Zoe Smith-Holladay, President of Justice for Workers, BA History of Art & History Established in 2006 by the SOAS cleaning team, the Justice for Workers Campaign (J4W) is a collaboration between cleaners, student activists and sympathetic academics at SOAS. For over 19 years, J4W’s tireless advocacy for equitable