Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Name	Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Type	Faculty

Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies is an academic division devoted to the study of languages, literatures, histories, religions, and cultures of Asia and the Middle East. It brings together specialists in areas including East Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and the Arabic-speaking world, fostering interdisciplinary links with departments and institutes worldwide. The faculty collaborates with museums, libraries, and research councils to support scholarship on subjects ranging from Confucius and Mao Zedong to Rumi and Rabindranath Tagore.

History

The faculty's origins trace to institutional expansions in the 19th and 20th centuries that established chairs and lectureships in Sanskrit, Hebrew, and Chinese language. Early benefactors and scholars included figures associated with the British Museum, the Royal Asiatic Society, and the India Office, while curricular reforms reflected influences from the Oriental Congress and the All-India Oriental Conference. Postwar growth paralleled partnerships with the British Council, the Japan Foundation, and the German Research Foundation, enabling new professorships in Japanese literature, Turkic studies, and Persian philology. Faculty members contributed to projects linked to the Rosetta Stone scholarship, archaeological expeditions comparable to those of Howard Carter and collaborations with institutions such as the British Library and the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Academic Departments and Programs

Academic offerings are organized into units covering Chinese studies, Japanese studies, Korean studies, Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali language, Persian studies, Arabic studies, Hebrew studies, Turkish studies, and Mongolian studies. Language instruction ranges from classical training in Pali and Classical Chinese to modern proficiency courses connected to examination boards like the Joint Council for Qualifications and exchanges with the University of Tokyo, Peking University, and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Interdisciplinary pathways link with programs in Comparative Literature, Anthropology, History of Art, and centers affiliated with the European Research Council.

Research and Centers

The faculty hosts research centers and projects on topics such as Islamic law, Buddhism, Tibetan studies, Mughal history, and East Asian film. It administers grants in collaboration with the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust, and international consortia including the Asia-Europe Meeting. Research outputs include editions and translations of texts related to The Tale of Genji, The Mahabharata, and The Arabian Nights, as well as archaeological reports comparable to those from Mohenjo-daro and surveys akin to work at Persepolis. Collaborative initiatives connect with museums like the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Museum of China.

Facilities and Resources

Physical and digital resources include specialized libraries with holdings in Sanskrit manuscripts, Arabic codices, Chinese rubbings, and archives related to the Partition of India. The faculty shares facilities with institutions such as the Bodleian Libraries and maintains access to collections comparable to those of the Hermitage Museum and the Pergamon Museum. Language laboratories, digitization suites, and manuscript conservation studios support fieldwork and palaeography projects on texts by Al-Ghazali, Ibn Battuta, Li Bai, and Murasaki Shikibu.

Degree Programs and Admissions

Degree programs span undergraduate degrees in joint schools with options like Modern Languages, fine-grained Triposes in area studies, and taught and research postgraduate degrees such as the Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy. Professional pathways include conversion courses linked to agencies like the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and exchange semesters with partners including Seoul National University and Ewha Womans University. Admissions consider language qualifications such as certificates in Classical Arabic or Mandarin HSK and may require proficiency tests modeled on those used by the Confucius Institute and the Japan Foundation.

Faculty and Notable Alumni

Faculty scholars include experts in philology, literary history, and cultural studies who have published on figures like Kaifi Azmi, Baudhayana, Ibn Sina, Zhu Xi, Natsume Sōseki, Amartya Sen, and Edward Said. Alumni have pursued careers in diplomacy at the United Nations, journalism at outlets similar to The Times, academia at universities such as Harvard University and University of Delhi, and cultural institutions like the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Prize-winning scholars among alumni and staff have received honors akin to the Pulitzer Prize, the Bodleian Medal, and fellowships from the Royal Society of Literature.

Outreach and Public Engagement

Public-facing activities include lecture series with visiting speakers from institutions like the International Institute for Strategic Studies, film festivals in partnership with the British Film Institute, and collaborative exhibitions with the Ashmolean Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. Community programs have engaged diasporic organizations such as The Hindu, Al Jazeera forums, and cultural trusts, while policy briefings informed by faculty research have been presented to bodies comparable to the European Parliament and the Foreign Office.

Category:Asian studies Category:Middle Eastern studies