The Death of SOAS
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, politically engaged approach to education. As one anonymous alumnus who graduated in 2003 put it, “SOAS was the only place in the UK where you could learn about Asia, Africa and the Middle East in depth. I am from a small town in England, and for the first time, I felt like I belonged and blended in.” However, as market forces influenced by the tuition-fee model fundamentally reshaped British higher education, SOAS is undergoing another transformation, with the metaphorical death of SOAS’ radical student. While the institution promotes a radical image to attract prospective students, internal changes indicate that a university is increasingly shaped by financial pragmatism rather than activism.
Financial pressures have played an important role in changes at SOAS. Tuition fees increase and the marketisation of UK universities has led students to prioritise employability and financial sustainability over academic distinctiveness, forcing institutions to prioritise more generic courses to remain viable. One of the most significant changes occurred in 2019 when its Foundation Year was introduced for UK students who wanted to study challenging courses such as Law and Economics but did not meet the academic requirements. The programme was initially expected to attract 30 students, but 300 enrolled in its first year alone, and the number has only grown since. Along with this expansion, SOAS has shifted its emphasis to less specialised courses that appeal to a broader student base, reducing or merging niche degrees like Turkish, Hausa, and Ancient Near Eastern Studies into more palatable courses like “BA Languages and Cultures.”
At the same time, the university has doubled down on remaining radical as an institution. A master’s degree in environmental justice, developed in partnership with India’s National Law University, exemplifies SOAS’ increasing engagement with international radicalism. Last year, SOAS achieved a £40 million surplus, yet much of this funding has been funnelled into financially viable courses marketed for prospective international students rather than the unapologetically niche subjects that once defined the institution.
Former student Esme Patridge laments this transformation, observing, “SOAS used to be home to a genuinely diverse array of intellects studying languages, cultures and religions for their own sake. Now, the university seems more to cater to students who want to work for international companies and NGOs which are ironically Western in their underlying approach and ideology."
These changes are not limited to academic programmes. The physical campus itself reflects SOAS’ evolving identity. The Green, once a space for student-led demonstrations and impromptu gatherings, is now enclosed by barriers. The Junior Common Room and Bar, formerly covered in its student writings, have been repainted multiple times, erasing years of student history. Events that once thrived in communal spaces are now confined to small classrooms.
A recent SOAS SU Tiny Desk concert featuring Senegalese musician Kadialy Kouyaté exemplified this shift. Where once the Junior Common Room would have been alive with students engaging freely with the music, the performance was instead held in a cramped, dimly lit classroom. The audience bobbed their heads dutifully, and a table of overpriced snacks and beverages remained largely untouched. The contrast with past student events, when The SOAS Jam hosted vibrant, impromptu gigs that saw students and artists like Frank Ocean chilling in the space, could not have been starker...
The heart of SOAS’ identity has long been its culture of activism. However, recent administrative changes, particularly under the leadership of Director Adam Habib, have placed new restrictions on student protests. The February 2024 Protest Bill mandates that all demonstrations on campus receive pre-approval from university management and security. It also prohibits direct criticism of SOAS staff.
An anonymous former student observed, “It feels like the university is doubling down on student activism to get rid of the mess that comes with dissent.” Former SU co-president Milaad Rajai was blunter: “The SOAS that brings students in is no longer there…They destroyed the bar and the JCR so it wouldn’t be a meeting place. They are turning it into just another university. Tony Benn MP would turn in his grave if he saw what SOAS has become.”
Yet, others argue that activism has not disappeared but evolved. While some lament the decline of in-person protest, others see digital activism as a powerful new tool. Former student Ella Dorn, reflecting on last year’s Palestine protests, noted, “There is still a huge appetite for activism. Online spaces have allowed politically isolated individuals to find community and organise in ways that weren’t possible before.” However, she cautioned that while online activism has its strengths, it risks being less effective than traditional protest.
In June 2024, SOAS launched ‘Decolonising Philosophy: A Toolkit’, a framework designed to steer away from traditional Western philosophical thinking by incorporating diverse perspectives from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. However, this shift is arguably prompted by market appeal rather than radical politics to portray SOAS as a space for radical thought in the face of major changes such as module closures, a more generic student body, and less space for protest.
Dorn suggests that British universities, including SOAS, are adapting their offerings to align with the demands of South Asian markets. “The SOAS leadership supports the university’s ‘radical identity’ because it suits them in the current recruitment climate. British universities are expanding into the South Asian international market, with a growing appetite for courses with a postcolonial or feminist focus. But this only leads to financial exploitation, mirroring earlier historical inequities.”
As SOAS navigates these tensions, a critical question remains: will it preserve its radical student legacy, or will it follow other UK institutions in being gutted by educational market shifts, resulting in a lack of student radicalism at a place The Economist once dubbed ‘One of Britain’s most unusual universities?’ SOAS must wholeheartedly recommit to the radical academic and activist traditions that once distinguished it.