Log in
Dr Lukas Nickel's archaeological fieldwork, art historical research and philological study have led to his proposition of novel theories that question the conventional wisdom surrounding the influences on, methods of production and historical-contextual details of key genres and elements of the Chinese art historical canon, including the famous Terracotta Warriors. Both in China and internationally, his theories have motivated debate, experimentation, and informed and shifted interpretation amongst those working in a range of cultural institutions as well as the general public.
African filmmakers have long experienced difficulties in funding, exhibiting and distributing their work, reflecting the dominance of Hollywood and `mainstream' cinema. Dr Lindiwe Dovey's research into African film and international film distribution investigates how such difficulties might be overcome, while drawing attention to the diversity and originality of African filmmaking practices. This research inspired and enabled the creation of the UK's largest film festival, Film Africa, showcasing African-made culture to a wider audience, and providing a space where African filmmakers can meet with distributors and funders, enhancing their potential to further their careers internationally.
Professor Andrew Gerstle's research and conceptualisation of the first exhibition of Osaka Kabuki prints since 1975 has proved a catalyst in radically reinvigorating interest in Osaka visual culture of the late 18th and 19th centuries, which had hitherto been eclipsed by that of Tokyo. Kabuki Heroes (2005), both as exhibition and detailed catalogue, has prompted further exhibitions on the subject, significantly enhanced the international market for Osaka prints, constitutes a primary source for museum curators and others and has had a significant influence on the British Museum and its curation and planning of its autumn 2013 exhibition Shunga, to which Gerstle has also substantially contributed.
Dr Lucy Duran's ethnomusicological research into the traditional musical forms, cultural practices and instruments of Mali has underpinned the studio production of two internationally acclaimed albums, Segu Blue, winner of two BBC Radio 3 Music Awards for Best World Music Album and Best African Artist in 2008, and I Speak Fula, a 2010 Grammy nominee for Best Traditional World Music Album. Both have raised awareness amongst musicians and global audiences of Bamana musical traditions, including the ngoni, the oldest of the West African lutes and, until Segu Blue, an instrument hardly known beyond West Africa.
Remittances to the Somali territories and money transfer companies in the region have long been viewed with distrust by banking regulators, who see them as a conduit for terrorist financing. SOAS research into remittance flows in the Somali territories helps address such distrust, revealing that remittances are used primarily for basic needs, while larger donations finance projects that contribute to the re-building of a region riven by conflict. Following a decision by Barclays to close accounts of UK money service providers operating in Somali territories, SOAS research has been critical to an NGO-led campaign garnering widespread support to keep remittance channels open.
How Chinese policymakers shape and progress agricultural policies against the backdrop of domestic population growth, rapid urbanisation, rising affluence and decreasing self-sufficiency in food production will have profound consequences for both China and its global trading partners. Agricultural transition and the transfer of resources from agriculture to industry has been a key factor underlying China's exceptional economic growth. Professor Laixiang Sun's research impacts upon the business and policy environment in which food producing and trading enterprises operate in China by contributing to the creation and development of the largest, most detailed predictive modelling tool for the Chinese agricultural sector, CHINAGRO II. His research has transformed policy makers' understanding of the future sustainability of Chinese agricultural development and had a significant impact on policy design and implementation. Facilitated by his research professorship at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in particular, Professor Sun has influenced Chinese government policy at the highest levels.
There is a growing, global crisis of language endangerment: At least half of the world's 7,000 languages are under threat. The Endangered Languages Project at SOAS supports the multimedia documentation of as many endangered languages as possible, drawing on research in the new field of documentary linguistics. A component part of the project, the Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR) preserves and makes available through managed access 10 terabytes of material from 160 endangered languages projects to date. It has benefitted a broad, international user base including endangered language speakers and community members, language activists, poets and others.
The primacy of oral poetry to Somali culture cannot be overstated: It is the primary form of cultural communication and the foremost vehicle through which Somali history, cultural values and contemporary concerns are expressed and transmitted. Through his pioneering analysis and sensitive translation into English of classical and contemporary Somali poems, Dr Martin Orwin has brought Somali poetry to the attention of Anglophone audiences, participating in web-accessible poetry projects and prominent events such as `Sonnet Sunday` and `Poetry Parnassus`. Working with Somali poets and cultural organisations, Orwin`s work has contributed to a more positive understanding of Somali culture and its place in world literature.
Professor Timon Screech's scholarship on under-researched areas of Japanese art, history and culture has reached a range of audiences outside of academia. Notably, it has produced a significant impact on cultural life, demonstrated most clearly by its influence on the renowned author David Mitchell in the writing of his best-selling historical novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, set in Japan in the late 1700s (2010). Mitchell drew extensively upon several of Screech's publications to inform and, ultimately, enrich his work of fiction, furnishing it with historical contextual detail unavailable in any other scholarly source.
Achieving self-sufficiency in food production is a priority of the Malawi government. To this end, from 2005 the country has implemented a countrywide programme, costing at its peak over US$270 million and 16% of the national budget, to subsidize smallholder farmers' access to high-quality seed and fertilizer. Professor Andrew Dorward's research from 2007 to the present on the implementation and impact of the programme has assisted a range of stakeholders including the Malawi Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, international funders and national NGOs and Civil Society Organisations in making decisions and changing policies to improve its efficacy and effectiveness.