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The Master of Arts (MA) in History programme at SOAS University of London is unique among postgraduate programmes in the UK and Europe in its exclusive focus on the histories of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Academic staff are specialists in the histories, cultures and societies of these regions, with their teaching reflecting the most recent research in their fields. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, 71.2% of SOAS’s History research output, and 83.3% of SOAS’s History impact case-studies were scored as world-leading/internationally excellent. SOAS’s History research environment was scored as entirely world-leading/internationally excellent. Run usually every seven years, the REF is the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.
With the MA’s concentration of expertise on the regions of the Global South, the programme offers an unrivalled breadth of modules from early history to the twentieth century, as well as on the interconnected histories of these regions.
In addition to offering regional, transregional and global history, the SOAS MA History programme provides rigorous training in the theory and methodology of history. Through an examination of key debates and controversies, as well as acquiring advanced research and methodology skills, students develop a sophisticated critical approach to the ways in which African, Asian, and Middle Eastern histories have been written and how historiographical shifts in the post-War and postcolonial period have shaped these narratives. A formal training in the discipline goes together with an emphasis on “de-centring” Europe from the story of humanity. Students are introduced to the social, cultural, political and intellectual pasts of people from regions whose contribution to world history is often marginalised. The modules offered seek, as far as possible, to teach the histories of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia from the perspective of people from those societies.
The combination of skills the MA History programme at SOAS fosters allows students to unpack the dynamics of the human experience in a nuanced way. Students can deepen their understanding of a particular topic, question or problem – be it tracing the historical roots of opposing worldviews, studying nationalism and revolution in colonial contexts or examining the place of SOAS itself in the history of colonial education. This state-of-the-art training in deep analytical thinking and the global perspective afforded by the regional and thematic modules provides a crucial platform from which students can embark on their professional lives, empowering them to navigate an increasingly complex and changing world with confidence.
Joao Moreira, a recent graduate (MA History 2023), notes: “At SOAS, the typical division between the classroom and the ‘real world’ was broken because the topics we discussed in classes – colonialism, injustice, peace, violence, resistance – were contextualised in the world we inhabit, not as a distant reality. MA History provided me with unique methodological tools to decolonise the way we tell history and to deconstruct Eurocentric perspectives in historical analysis.”
The programme comprises a range of modules from the “History Dissertation” to methodological modules that enhance historiographical skill, “Debating Pasts” and “Crafting Histories”. Students choose from a range including: “Gender and Empire in Early Modern China”, “Race and Slavery in the Middle East and Africa”, “Community, Religion and Conflict in South Asian History”, and “Global Histories of Freedom, Justice, Equality”. Students also have the opportunity to learn one of ten non-Western languages or take modules from departments across the institution.
Omar Nasr, an MA History graduate from 2021, comments: “What distinguishes the SOAS History programme is its dedication to offering an array of non-eurocentric courses, reflecting a commitment to broadening the scope of historical inquiry. This commitment is reinforced by the encouragement to engage with primary and secondary sources in a range of languages, fostering a deeper and more inclusive understanding of history.”
Students have a fulfilling, well-rounded pedagogical experience, inside and outside the classroom. In the words of another recent graduate, Natalia Lanko (MA History 2021): “The seminar in historical research methods and historiography offers an excellent overview of the most recent cutting-edge debates in the field from a critical perspective. It effectively blends the attention to theory and concepts with a discussion of their practical application in historical research.”
SOAS is a diverse community of students and staff who are deeply committed to the study of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Source: SOAS University of London
SOAS is a diverse community of students and staff who are deeply committed to the study of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Source: SOAS University of London
The academic faculty teaches a diverse range of material in innovative ways, and staff are committed to ensuring students have the best chance of success. As Lanko says: “SOAS stands out from other universities in offering an interdisciplinary and self-reflective insight into the field of history, which at many other universities is dominated by more traditional approaches. What is special about History at SOAS is the willingness of academics to support students pursuing further education after graduation by advising on opportunities and providing letters of reference.”
Through mutual engagement and exchange, the staff and students form a strong bond. For Moreira, the close-knit research and teaching community made a lasting impression on him: “The MA History cohort, with people from different parts of the world, formed a strong community that outlived the classroom – conversations that started in seminars and lectures often continued at the SOAS café which ended up building friendships for life and taught me as much (or more) than a lecture. The teachers are, of course, responsible for this – for creating human spaces for education that disrupt authoritarian and conservative ways of teaching”.
SOAS is well-placed to foster original student research. It is home to one of the UK’s five national research libraries, providing students and staff with 1.3 million volumes, periodicals and audio-visual materials in 400 rare and endangered languages, all on Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The Archives and Special Collections is one of the leading collections of archives, manuscripts and rare books on the regions in the UK. It makes available over three kilometres of archival material, as well as 60,000 rare books, and manuscripts in 140 languages to students and researchers globally.
Moreover, given SOAS’s location in Bloomsbury, students can readily access other world-leading libraries and archival collections such as the British Library, the National Archives, the British Museum, and the British Film Institute. SOAS’s central London position also makes it easy for students to step out and enjoy the rich cultural life the city has to offer.
Students working together in the SOAS Archive.
SOAS is a community of students and staff committed to the study of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. They share a concern for the future of these societies and a sense of global responsibility to understanding their cultures, histories and economies. SOAS is developing partnerships with universities in these regions and is connected in real ways to grassroots student communities there.
With its rigorous training and immense resources, it is unsurprising that so many SOAS MA History graduates embark on successful careers in a range of high-skill industries. Students enter, for instance, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector, the civil service, education and research, law and government, media and museum curation.
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