Author: SOAS Spirit

16 FEB

The Walking Dead-alum Steven Yeun talks about his new film, Burning

By Azeem Rajulawalla, BA History Last week, Lee Chang-dong’s Burning was released. It had already made waves at the Cannes Film Festival where it was in competition for the Palme D’or, particularly for its surprising and tense ending, which ultimately leaves you with more questions than answers. It deals with sexual frustration and social divides […]

31 JAN

Transcending Violence: The Geeks and New Stalwarts of Palestinian Identity

Benjie Jackson, MSc Violence, Conflict and Development In occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), namely the West Bank and Gaza, new social phenomena are materializing. In recent weeks, I have been struck by stories of remarkable agency: in particular, a young tech generation in Gaza are transcending the physical barriers (such as limits to trade) which come […]

31 JAN

Do Not Fall Victim to New Email Scams

By David Hall, MA History and Korean Language I recently received several scam emails claiming to be from TV licensing. I have also read a few cases where people have unfortunately fallen victim to these scams. The BBC reported on 7 January 2019, that a married couple had lost nearly £10,000 to TV license scammers, […]

31 JAN

Story of O-rientalism

Meraz Mostafa, MA Anthropology and Sociology There is a thought loop that I can’t get out of my head: If I were to graffiti the word “oriental” on the walls of SOAS, would it be considered a hate crime? Well, okay, I’d probably just get into trouble for sprawling ink on the walls, subsuming a […]

31 JAN

Diary of a Fresher

As pressure from the responsibilities around you begin to take its toll, you come to see that life essentially takes the form of a relentless marathon. An engineered atmosphere of competition that drains you. You run and run. And just when you think you’ve reached the checkered line, you’re told you have another round to […]

31 JAN

Poetry

My Heart Through My Stomach You are the heat in my lungs brought on by the jollof  rice the sweet vanilla in the Nigerian custard You are  the thickest fried plantain in the freshly, fried batch The  okra soup that swoops and draws so elegantly  You are the softest puff  puff And the hottest akara You […]