At this year’s graduation ceremonies, SOAS honoured seven distinguished people who have made exceptional contributions to SOAS and the areas of our intellectual interest.

• Dr KY Amoako to mark his achievements as one of Africa’s leading economists.

• Professor Rahile Dawut to recognise her contribution to the scholarship of Uyghur cultural heritage. Professor Dawut is currently serving a sentence of life imprisonment in China.

• Dr Gail Lewis in recognition of her contribution to Black British feminism, anti-racism and anti-imperialist scholarship.

• Professor Anthony Bogues to mark his many and wide-ranging contributions including to the study of Africa and African diaspora political theory.

• Lord David Sainsbury for philanthropic work through the Gatsby Foundation and his contribution to inclusive structural transformation, particularly in East Africa.

• Dr Atiur Rahman to recognise his work in alleviating poverty through his work as an economist and his role as the Governor of Bangladesh Bank.

• Professor Gungwu Wang, a SOAS alumnus, for pioneering work expanding the understanding of China and Chinese relations.

We are delighted that the achievements of three SOAS alumni were recognised in the recent birthday honours list.

Danyal Nurus Sattar (BA Geography 1986) is the Chief Executive of Big Issue Invest. He was awarded an OBE for services to Business and Social Finance. Big Issue Invest is part of the Big Issue group and aims to unlock social and economic opportunity for social enterprises, social-purpose businesses and charities in the UK.

Professor Shruti Kapila (PhD History 2000) is a professor of History and Politics at the University of Cambridge and has been awarded an OBE for services to research in Humanities. Professor Kapila’s main areas of scholarship are Modern and Contemporary India (1770 to the present), and Global Political Thought.

Fleur Butler (BA Anthropology 1989) has been awarded an OBE for services to Politics and to Women. A politician and novelist, she is President of the National Conservative Convention, and has previously led Richmondshire District Council and been a member of the Congress of the Council of Europe.

Congratulations to all three.

An exhibition Hudood: Rethinking Boundaries was hosted at the SOAS Gallery (previously known as the Brunei Gallery), which was the first exhibition entirely co-curated and designed by SOAS students.

Showcasing contemporary art from the Arab world, it hosted works from the Barjeel Art Foundation’s collection supervised by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, a research associate with the SOAS Middle East Institute. The students developed the premise for the exhibition and selected the works to be shown.

“Hudood” is the Arabic term for boundaries, and the exhibition examined the impact of physical borders and walls on artistic impression exploring boundaries as both physical realities and mental constructs.

Professor David Mosse from the Department of Anthropology and Sociology has been awarded the prestigious Lucy Mair Medal by the Council of the Royal Anthropological Institute.

The prestigious award was made to Professor Mosse in recognition of his leadership in the area of anthropology and mental health, which has not only furthered academic understanding, but has contributed to the improvement of mental health policies and practices.

The Lucy Mair Medal honours those who have significantly advanced the application of anthropological insights to real-world problems.

In the previous issue of SOAS World, we highlighted Professor Mosse and colleague Dr Nikita Simpson receiving an £8 million grant from Research England to help understand and address inequality of access to mental health care, challenges in provision and overall outcomes of care.

SOAS and the National School of Government of South Africa (NSG) have developed a new partnership to advance public sector development and performance in South Africa.

The collaboration aims to encourage knowledge exchange, research collaboration, and capacity-building programmes to meet the needs of South Africa's public sector. It is a shared commitment to promoting effective governance, institutional capacity-building, and sustainable development in South Africa and beyond.

The partnership is a significant step towards fostering mutual learning and understanding between South Africa and global institutions.

Raju Kendre (MA Development Studies 2023) recently won International Alum of the Year at the PIEoneer Awards 2024.

The PIEoneer Awards celebrate innovation and achievement across the global education industry. The PIE (Professionals in International Education) works to connecting the professionals, institutions and businesses that support those who choose to study with an international provider.

Raju’s award was in recognition of his leadership of the Eklavya India Foundation, which has unlocked over $5 million in scholarships for 1,200 learners from marginalised Indian communities to attend global universities.