Royal Society for Asian Affairs

Yesterday's Reading Room saw @meganeaves.com in conversation with Sophie Ibbotson about her new book Nightfaring: In Search of the Disappearing Darkness. If you were unable to make it, you can catch up with the recording here https://loom.ly/m5aL7XU

Mirziyoyev's Decade: What Next For Uzbekistan? - join us for this online panel discussion with Joanna Lillis, Dr Dilmira Matyakubova, Dr Farkhad Tolipov and Dr Franco Galdini, moderated by Polina Ivanova on 16 March 2026 at 14.00 GMT. Find out more and register here - https://loom.ly/ckrOmPY

From the execution of Stoddart and Conolly in Bukhara to the enduring myth of the “Great Game,” Central Asia is still cast as a chessboard for empires. But what if that says more about London and Moscow than the region? Joe Luc Barnes asks who gets to frame the narrative - https://loom.ly/b_72iVY

From Berkeley lecture halls to San Francisco safe houses, the Ghadar movement turned exile into insurrection. Scott Miller uncovers the revolutionaries who plotted to topple the British Raj - and the spies, gun-running schemes, and courtroom gunfire that followed. Read here - https://loom.ly/HxAQ2wM

Catch up on an insightful and engaging talk with Razeen Sally, in which he reflects on returning to Sri Lanka after decades away and shares personal experiences and insights from a decade of travelling across the island exploring its culture, history, and paradoxes. Find here https://loom.ly/8BJgSSE

Nightfaring: In Search of the Disappearing Darkness - join us for this online Reading Room discussion with award-winning travel writer Megan Eaves-Egenes, hosted by Sophie Ibbotson on 3 March 2026 at 18.30 GMT. Find out more and register for free here - https://loom.ly/nXi7I7Q

From the global triumph of Parasite to the polished glow of the #Korean Wave, Korean cinema travels far. But what slips out of frame? Santosh Kumar Ranjan and Aman Tripathi explore fame, inequality, and the blind spots of global success. Read here - https://loom.ly/Fu6zhgk

From Arctic Siberia to the Tibetan Plateau, thawing permafrost is reshaping Asia’s strategic landscape. Saranya Chattopadhyay traces how climate shift is becoming slow geopolitical checkmate, destabilising infrastructure, water systems, and high-altitude power. Read here - https://loom.ly/Up7wAvw

Return to Sri Lanka: Travels in a Paradoxical Land - join us for this online lecture with Razeen Sally, exploring the complex and contradictory island of #SriLanka, on 17 February 2026 at 14.00 GMT. Find out more and register here - https://loom.ly/EvP2i0k

At the end of 2025, the RSAA hosted a Reading Room event with author Joanna Lillis talking about her new book Silk Mirage. The talk provided a compelling portrait of Uzbekistan exploring its politics, economics, history, arts and culture. If you missed it, catch up here - https://loom.ly/i5sAQIo

What does it mean to see #Mumbai with fresh eyes? From Art Deco inspiration to first impressions of a city in constant motion, Timeless Mumbai captures architecture as lived experience. Our new blog brings together the voices behind this award-winning project. Read here - https://loom.ly/ObQaZzA

Rule Breakers is not just a film about technology. It’s a story of defiance, gender, and power, tracing how #Afghan girls turned education into a political act. Our latest blog explores why. Read here - https://loom.ly/UbuE1Qk

Catch up with yesterday's panel discussion on Modi's #India and whether it could become a superpower of the future. Experts Dr Sripad Motiram, Prof Kate Sullivan de Estrada and Javed Gaya, moderated by Neha Dixit, discuss India's politics, economics and diplomacy. Watch here https://loom.ly/cpHr6hA

How did #Türkiye move from limited engagement to sustained regional entrenchment in the Middle East? Buğrahan Demir examines how strategic decisions in Syria, Iraq, energy security, and regional diplomacy have made withdrawal increasingly difficult. Read here - https://loom.ly/jF3L3pI

Are you aged 21-28 and working on research or a project related to colonialism, exploration, technology, or memory politics in the context of #Asia? The RSAA Travel Awards 2026 could help fund your travel plans. Deadline - 31 January 2025. Find out more and apply here - https://loom.ly/I4W4-e4

From Josiah Harlan to YouTube adventurers, Zohra Saed traces “American Turbanismo” - the enduring fantasy that casts #Afghanistan as a stage and Afghan men as hypermasculine warriors. This colonial imagination shapes storytelling, policy, and perception. Read here - https://loom.ly/u7CTCN0

Hindutva and Modi's India: The Makings of a Superpower? - join us for this online panel discussion with Dr Sripad Motiram, Professor Kate Sullivan de Estrada and Javed Gaya, moderated by Neha Dixit on 21 January 2026 at 14.00 GMT. Find out more and register here - https://loom.ly/33yJvj4

Unfamiliar Asia - Christmas Traditions in the Middle East ✝️☦️

Predominantly viewed as an Islamic region, Christian minorities have celebrated Christmas across the Middle East for two thousand years. Find out more here - https://loom.ly/Mv7otHo #christmas #middleeast

Are you aged 21-28 and working on research or a project related to colonialism, exploration, technology, or memory politics in the context of #Asia? The RSAA Travel Awards 2026 could help fund your travel plans. Find out more and apply here - https://loom.ly/I4W4-e4

Catch up on last week's fascinating lecture with Syria expert Charles Lister, hosted by Mazen Gharibah. Lister provides an overview of the year following the fall of Assad, the complex challenges and opportunities and how the new government is faring. Watch here - https://loom.ly/d8Ol1kc

From toppled chief ministers to shifting welfare battlegrounds, Soumyadeep Chowdhury and Allen David Simon unpack why strong leadership and good governance no longer guarantee victory in India’s elections. Read here - https://loom.ly/URpN_vU

Unfamiliar Asia - Hong Kong Winterfest ❄️

Throughout the festive season and up to the New Year, Hong Kong celebrates with its Winterfest. Find out more here - https://loom.ly/J1fDqBM #hongkong #winterfest

Did you miss the panel discussion hosted by the RSAA, in partnership with the FCDOA and IIAS, with Dr Edward Howell, Shihoko Goto, Dr Sung-Yoon Lee and Yuki Tatsumi, on US policy towards East Asia? Catch up with the recording here - https://loom.ly/PZl1hNg

Did you miss the panel discussion hosted by the RSAA, in partnership with the FCDOA and IIAS, with Dr James Ryan, Mohammed A Salih, Steven A Cook and Dr Sanam Vakil, on US policy towards the Middle East? Catch up with the recording here - https://loom.ly/qRAQTIk

Did you miss the panel discussion hosted by the RSAA, in partnership with the FCDOA and IIAS, with Dr Bill Hayton, Elina Noor, Dr Prashanth Parameswaran and Dr Ann Marie Murphy, on US policy towards Southeast Asia? Catch up with the recording here - https://loom.ly/fpeHIIY

Did you miss the panel discussion hosted by the RSAA, in partnership with the FCDOA and IIAS, with Sophie Ibbotson, Annette Bohr, Temur Umarov and Dr Luca Anceschi, on US policy towards Central Asia? Catch up with the recording here - https://loom.ly/rGFQj9g

Did you miss the panel discussion hosted by the RSAA, in partnership with the FCDOA and IIAS, with Professor Kerry Brown, Dr James Char, Dr Gemma Cheng'er Deng and Professor Steve Tsang, on US policy towards China? Catch up with the recording here - https://loom.ly/uZ6fNiw

From opium wars to the great tea heist, Sean Paterson uncovers how a Scottish gardener helped reshape global tastes and cripple the Qing economy. Read here - https://loom.ly/Vll-g3E

Did you miss the panel discussion hosted by the RSAA, in partnership with the FCDOA and IIAS, with Dr Kamran Bokhari, Michael Kugelman, Dinaker Peri and Akriti Kalyankar on US policy towards India and South Asia? Catch up with the recording here - https://loom.ly/tsm7SeI

Last month, we were fortunate to have Dr Paul Chambers talk to the RSAA about his experience of being wrongfully imprisoned as a foreign academic in Thailand. In this dramatic story he had his passport taken, visa revoked and employment terminated. Watch the recording here - https://loom.ly/uN8NHRU