SOAS, University of London

SOAS University of London, formally the School of Oriental and African Studies, is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member college of the federal University of London, founded in 1916.伦敦大学亚非学院（英文校名 SOAS University of London，正式名为 School of Oriental and African Studies）是一所位于伦敦市中心布卢姆茨伯里的公立研究型大学，也是联邦制伦敦大学的成员学院，创立于 1916 年。

It specialises in the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East across law, humanities, languages and the social sciences, and its library ranks among the five National Research Libraries of England.该校专攻亚洲、非洲与中东的法律、人文、语言与社会科学，其图书馆位列英格兰五所国家研究型图书馆之中。

In the 2027 QS World University Rankings it is placed joint 458th, it stands in the 401-450 band of the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and it is ranked 1,631st in the 2026-2027 U.S. News Best Global Universities, while OpenAlex records 16,682 research works and 251,130 citations.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中，该校并列第 458；在 2027 年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名中处于 401 至 450 区间；在 2026 至 2027 年度 US News 全球最佳大学排名中位列第 1,631；OpenAlex 统计其研究成果 16,682 项、累计被引 251,130 次。

History

• The school was founded in 1916 as the School of Oriental Studies at 2 Finsbury Circus, the then premises of the London Institution, as an instrument of British state policy in Asia and Africa, and it immediately became integral to training British colonial officials for overseas postings.该校于 1916 年以东方学院之名创立，校址设于芬斯伯里圆环 2 号，即伦敦学院的旧所，其创办带有英国对亚洲与非洲的国家政策考量，并很快成为训练派驻海外殖民地官员的机构。

• It received its royal charter on 5 June 1916 and admitted its first students on 18 January 1917.该校于 1916 年 6 月 5 日取得皇家特许状，并于 1917 年 1 月 18 日招收首批学生。

• The school was formally inaugurated on 23 February 1917 by King George V, attended by Earl Curzon of Kedleston, formerly Viceroy of India, and other cabinet officials.1917 年 2 月 23 日，学校由国王乔治五世正式揭幕，前印度总督寇松伯爵及其他内阁官员出席。

• Its founding mission was to advance British scholarship, science and commerce in Africa and Asia and to give London University a rival to the Oriental schools of Berlin, Petrograd and Paris.其创办宗旨是推动英国在非洲与亚洲的学术、科学与商业，并为伦敦大学树立可与柏林、彼得格勒、巴黎的东方学院相抗衡的机构。

• The school gave instruction in the languages, customs, religions, laws and history of the regions to which colonial administrators, missionaries, doctors and military officers were being posted.学校向即将派驻各地的殖民地行政官、传教士、医生与军官教授当地语言以及风俗、宗教、法律与历史。

• Africa was added to the school's name in 1938, when it became the School of Oriental and African Studies.1938 年校名加入「非洲」二字，遂定名为亚非学院。

• For a period in the mid-1930s the school was located at Vandon House, with its library at Clarence House, before its move to Thornhaugh Street in Bloomsbury.二十世纪三十年代中期，学校一度设于万登大楼，图书馆位于克拉伦斯府，其后才迁往布卢姆茨伯里的索恩霍街。

• Its move to new Bloomsbury premises was held up by construction delays, and the half-completed building took a hit during the Blitz in September 1940.迁入布卢姆茨伯里新址的工程因施工延误而推迟，未完工的大楼在 1940 年 9 月的伦敦大轰炸中受损。

• With the onset of the Second World War in 1939 many University of London colleges were evacuated, and the school was transferred on government advice to Christ's College, Cambridge.1939 年第二次世界大战爆发后，伦敦大学多所学院疏散，该校依政府建议迁往剑桥大学基督学院。

• In 1940 the school returned to London and was housed for some months in eleven rooms at Broadway Court.1940 年学校返回伦敦，在百老汇庭院的十一个房间中落脚数月。

• In 1942 the War Office joined with the school to offer State Scholarships to grammar and public-school boys with linguistic ability, who were trained as military translators in Chinese, Japanese, Persian and Turkish and lodged at Dulwich College.1942 年陆军部与该校合办国家奖学金，选拔有语言天赋的中学生培养成中文、日文、波斯文与土耳其文军事译员，寄宿于德威学院。

• These trainees became affectionately known as the Dulwich boys, and one of them, Charles Dunn, later became a prominent Japanologist on the SOAS faculty.这批学员被昵称为「德威男孩」，其中查尔斯·邓恩后来成为亚非学院知名的日本研究学者。

• The 1946 Scarborough Commission recommended a major expansion in provision for the study of Asia, and the school benefited greatly from the subsequent funding.1946 年斯卡伯勒委员会报告建议大幅扩充亚洲研究，学校因此获得大量后续经费。

• The SOAS School of Law was established in 1947 with Seymour Gonne Vesey-FitzGerald as its first head, and it remains the only law school in the world focused on the legal systems of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.亚非学院法学院于 1947 年成立，西摩·冈恩·维西-菲茨杰拉德出任首任负责人，它至今仍是全球唯一专注亚洲、非洲与中东法律体系的法学院。

• In 1956 Sir Cyril Philips became director and, over a 20-year stewardship, transformed the school by raising funds and broadening its remit.1956 年西里尔·菲利普斯爵士出任院长，在此后二十年任内筹措资金、拓宽办学范围，使学校大为改观。

• The first university linguistics department in the United Kingdom was created at SOAS in 1932, with J. R. Firth teaching phonology and semantics there between 1938 and 1956.英国首个大学语言学系于 1932 年在亚非学院设立，J. R. 弗斯于 1938 至 1956 年间在此讲授音系学与语义学。

• Its library was designated by HEFCE in 2011 as one of the five National Research Libraries of the United Kingdom.2011 年，其图书馆获英国高等教育拨款委员会认定为全英五所国家研究型图书馆之一。

• In 2011 the Privy Council approved changes to the school's charter allowing it to award degrees in its own name, following the London School of Economics, University College London and King's College London.2011 年枢密院批准修订学校特许状，允许其以自身名义授予学位，此前伦敦政治经济学院、伦敦大学学院与伦敦国王学院已相继获此资格。

• All new students registered from September 2013 qualify for an award made in the school's own name rather than an award of the federal University of London.自 2013 年 9 月注册的新生起，学位改以该校自身名义而非联邦伦敦大学名义颁发。

• In 2012 a new visual identity was launched, the SOAS tree symbol, incorporating the leaves of ten trees representing England, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.2012 年启用新的视觉识别，即亚非学院树符号，它由十种树的叶片构成，分别代表英格兰、亚洲、非洲与中东。

• In 2021 Adam Habib became director of SOAS and in 2024 the title of director was renamed vice-chancellor.2021 年亚当·哈比布出任亚非学院院长，2024 年院长职衔更名为校长（Vice-Chancellor）。

• Growth over the last three decades has taken the school from fewer than 1,000 students in the 1970s to more than 6,000 today, nearly half of them postgraduates.近三十年的发展使该校学生从 1970 年代的不足 1,000 人增至如今的 6,000 余人，其中近半数为研究生。

• During the Second World War the school ran a series of Japanese courses for translators and interpreters and taught Chinese, Persian and Turkish for military purposes, building on the wartime language scheme it had helped to create.第二次世界大战期间，该校为译员与口译员开设了一系列日语课程，并在其参与创设的战时语言计划基础上，为军事目的教授中文、波斯文与土耳其文。

Academics

• SOAS is divided into three colleges, namely the College of Humanities, the College of Social Sciences and the College of Law, and each college is further divided into schools and departments.亚非学院下设三大学院，即人文学院、社会科学学院与法学院，各学院又分设若干系所。

• The school offers around 350 bachelor's degree combinations, more than 100 one-year master's degrees and PhD programmes in nearly every department.该校提供约 350 种学士学位组合、100 多个一年制硕士项目，以及几乎覆盖所有系科的博士项目。

• The SOAS School of Law is one of the largest departments in the school and has more than 400 students, with international students forming a majority at all levels for many years.亚非学院法学院是该校规模最大的系所之一，拥有 400 余名学生，多年来各级别学生均以国际学生为主。

• The School of Law was ranked 15th out of all 98 British law schools by The Guardian League Table in 2016, and it teaches in a comparative way with a compulsory first-year course on the legal systems of Asia and Africa.该法学院在 2016 年《卫报》排行榜中位列全英 98 所法学院第 15，其教学采用比较法视角，一年级必修亚洲与非洲法律体系课程。

• The College of Humanities houses the School of Art, the School of History, Religions and Philosophies, the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics and the School of Anthropology, Media and Gender.人文学院下设艺术学院、历史宗教与哲学学院、语言文化与语言学学院，以及人类学媒体与性别学院。

• The College of Social Sciences houses the departments of Development, Politics and International Studies, Economics and Finance and Management.社会科学学院下设发展研究系、政治与国际研究系、经济学系以及金融与管理系。

• A gift from the Alphawood Foundation in 2013 created the Hiram W. Woodward Chair in Southeast Asian art together with lectureships at the Department of Art and Archaeology, making it a global centre for the study of Southeast Asia.2013 年阿尔法伍德基金会的捐赠设立了东南亚艺术领域的海勒姆·W·伍德沃德讲席，并支持艺术与考古系的多个讲师职位，使其成为东南亚研究的世界性中心。

• The school has a student-staff ratio of 15 to 1 and was ranked 44th in the United Kingdom in the Complete University Guide 2025.该校师生比为 15 比 1，在 2025 年《完全大学指南》中位列全英第 44。

• The SOAS Library houses more than 1.2 million volumes and electronic resources for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.亚非学院图书馆藏有逾 120 万册图书与电子资源，专供非洲、亚洲与中东研究之用。

• The library was built in 1973 in the Philips Building and designed by the architect Sir Denys Lasdun, also known for the National Theatre in London and the Institute of Education.图书馆于 1973 年在菲利普斯大楼落成，由建筑师丹尼斯·拉斯登爵士设计，他以伦敦国家剧院与教育学院等作品闻名。

• In 2010-11 the library underwent a £12 million modernisation known as the Library Transformation Project, creating new study rooms and an exhibition space.2010 至 2011 年，图书馆耗资 1,200 万英镑实施名为「图书馆转型计划」的改造工程，新增自习室与展览空间。

• Academic staff numbered 635 in 2024/25 while administrative staff stood at 585 in the same year.2024 至 2025 学年学术人员为 635 人，同年行政人员为 585 人。

• Around 5,988 students studied on campus, with a further 3,126 registered on distance and online programmes.约 5,988 名学生在校内就读，另有 3,126 名学生注册远程与在线课程。

• The school publishes academic journals including The China Quarterly, the Bulletin of SOAS and the Journal of African Law, and its China Institute traces its roots to the Contemporary China Institute founded in the 1960s.该校出版多种学术期刊，包括《中国季刊》、《亚非学院学报》与《非洲法律杂志》；其中国研究院的前身可追溯至 1960 年代创办的当代中国研究所。

• It also has a Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies, a Japan Research Centre and regional centres for Africa, South Asia, Taiwan, Iran, Korea and Palestine.该校还设有沙普尔吉·帕隆吉琐罗亚斯德教研究院、日本研究中心，以及非洲、南亚、台湾、伊朗、韩国与巴勒斯坦等区域研究中心。

• SOAS acts as a consultant to government departments and to firms such as Accenture and Deloitte on Asian, African and Middle Eastern affairs.该校为政府部门以及埃森哲、德勤等企业提供有关亚洲、非洲与中东事务的咨询。

• Undergraduate admissions are designated medium-tariff, and according to 2022/23 HESA entry standards data the average student at SOAS achieved 133 UCAS points, equivalent to BBC to ABB at A-Level.该校本科招生被归类为中档录取门槛，据 2022 至 2023 学年英国高等教育统计局入学标准数据，亚非学院学生平均取得 133 个 UCAS 分数点，相当于 A-Level 的 BBC 至 ABB。

Campus

• The campus occupies a site in Bloomsbury, central London, close to Russell Square, and the nearest Underground station is Russell Square.校园位于伦敦市中心布卢姆茨伯里，毗邻罗素广场，最近的地铁站为罗素广场站。

• It includes College Buildings, comprising the Philips Building and the Old Building, the Brunei Gallery, 53 Gordon Square and, since 2016, the Paul Webley Wing within the North Block of Senate House.校舍包括由菲利普斯大楼与旧楼构成的学院大楼、文莱美术馆、戈登广场 53 号，以及 2016 年起启用的议会大厦北楼的保罗·韦布利翼楼。

• The Brunei Gallery was built from an endowment from the Sultan of Brunei and was inaugurated by the Princess Royal, then Chancellor of the University of London, on 22 November 1995.文莱美术馆由文莱苏丹捐资兴建，1995 年 11 月 22 日由时任伦敦大学校监的长公主主持揭幕。

• The Japanese-style roof garden on top of the Brunei Gallery was opened by its sponsor Haruhisa Handa on 13 November 2001 during the Japan 2001 celebrations.文莱美术馆顶层的日式庭园在「日本 2001」庆典期间，由其资助人半田晴久于 2001 年 11 月 13 日揭幕。

• The Brunei Gallery's three floors provide exhibition space, a bookshop, a lecture theatre and conference and teaching facilities, and they host a programme of changing contemporary and historical exhibitions from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.文莱美术馆的三层楼设有展览空间、书店、讲堂以及会议与教学设施，并常年举办不断更换的、来自亚洲、非洲与中东的当代与历史展览。

• The SOAS Centenary Masterplan estimated a total project cost of about £73 million to deliver roughly 30 per cent additional space.亚非学院百年总体规划估算项目总造价约 7,300 万英镑，可新增约三成使用空间。

• The school formerly hosted the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, one of Europe's foremost collections of Chinese ceramics, now on permanent display in Room 95 of the British Museum.该校曾附设大维德中国艺术基金会，这是欧洲最重要的中国陶瓷收藏之一，其藏品现于大英博物馆第 95 展厅永久展出。

• SOAS operates two halls of residence in central London, Dinwiddy House and Paul Robeson House, both owned by Sanctuary Student Housing.亚非学院在伦敦市中心运营两处学生宿舍——丁威迪楼与保罗·罗伯逊楼，均由桑克图里学生住房公司持有。

• Dinwiddy House on Pentonville Road contains 510 single en-suite rooms arranged in small cluster flats, minutes from King's Cross St Pancras station.位于彭顿维尔路的丁威迪楼设有 510 间单人套间，组成若干小型合租单元，距国王十字圣潘克拉斯车站步行数分钟。

• SOAS students may also apply for places in the intercollegiate halls of the University of London, such as Canterbury Hall, Commonwealth Hall and International Students House, most of them based in Bloomsbury.亚非学院学生还可申请伦敦大学跨学院宿舍的名额，如坎特伯雷楼、联邦楼与国际学生之家，其中多数位于布卢姆茨伯里。

Reputation

• In the 2027 QS World University Rankings SOAS is placed joint 458th.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中，亚非学院并列第 458。

• In the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings it stands in the 401-450 band.在 2027 年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名中，该校处于 401 至 450 区间。

• In the 2026-2027 U.S. News Best Global Universities it is ranked 1,631st, a list compiled by U.S. News & World Report.在 2026 至 2027 年度 US News 全球最佳大学排名中，该校位列第 1,631，该榜单由《美国新闻与世界报道》编制。^[1]

• SOAS has not entered the main table of the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities published by ShanghaiRanking.亚非学院未进入由软科发布的 2026 年世界大学学术排名主榜。

• The 2022 QS World University Rankings placed SOAS 2nd in the world for Development Studies, 10th for Anthropology and 15th for Politics.2022 年 QS 世界大学学科排名中，亚非学院的发展研究位列世界第 2，人类学第 10，政治学第 15。

• For Arts and Humanities overall the school was placed 67th in the world in the same 2022 rankings, and 33rd globally for international students in the 2023 edition.在同一份 2022 年排名中，该校艺术与人文学科整体位列世界第 67，并在 2023 年版中位列国际学生比例全球第 33。

• According to OpenAlex the school has produced 16,682 research works attracting 251,130 citations.据 OpenAlex 统计，亚非学院已产出 16,682 项研究成果，累计被引 251,130 次。

• In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework the Department of Financial and Management Studies placed 41st in the country by grade point average, with 81 per cent of its research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.在 2021 年研究卓越框架评估中，金融与管理研究系按平均绩点位列全英第 41，其研究有 81% 被评为世界领先或国际优秀。

• The 2021 REF ranked SOAS 4th in the United Kingdom for Anthropology by GPA, an improvement from 16th in the 2014 exercise.2021 年研究卓越框架评估中，该校人类学按平均绩点位列全英第 4，较 2014 年评估的第 16 位有所提升。

• SOAS ranked within the top 60 in the United Kingdom for Business Studies in the 2023 Complete University Guide, and the financial and management studies department is regarded as one of the country's ten strongest business research groups.该校在 2023 年《完全大学指南》的商科榜单中位列全英前 60，其金融与管理研究系被视为全英十强商学研究团队之一。

Student life

• The SOAS Students' Union was established in 1927 and has a long history of activism.亚非学院学生会成立于 1927 年，素以活跃的抗议传统著称。

• In 2005 it became the first students' union in the United Kingdom to hold a referendum supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.2005 年，它成为全英首个就支持「抵制、撤资、制裁」运动举行公投的学生会。

• In 1959 the union raised funds for Algerian victims of the Algerian War of Independence and later campaigned against the introduction of student loans and student fees.1959 年学生会为阿尔及利亚独立战争的受害者筹款，此后又长期反对引入学生贷款与学费制度。

• The SU bar became an established live music venue by the 1970s and was where the American band Nirvana played their first UK gig in 1989.学生会酒吧在 1970 年代成为固定的现场音乐场所，美国乐队涅槃于 1989 年在此举行首场英国演出。

• SOAS was voted the most politically active university in the United Kingdom in the Which? University survey of 2012.在 2012 年 Which? University 调查中，亚非学院被评为全英政治活动最活跃的大学。

• The school's clubs compete in British Universities and Colleges Sport fixtures in basketball, football, hockey, netball, rugby union and tennis.该校运动队参加英国高校体育联赛的篮球、足球、曲棍球、无板篮球、橄榄球与网球等赛事。

• SOAS also participates in an annual North London Varsity tournament against London Metropolitan University.亚非学院还每年与伦敦都市大学进行「北伦敦校际对抗赛」。

• Located in Bloomsbury, the school sits close to many other University of London institutions, including Birkbeck, the Institute of Education, London Business School and the London School of Economics.该校地处布卢姆茨伯里，邻近伯贝克学院、教育学院、伦敦商学院与伦敦政治经济学院等众多伦敦大学成员机构。

• SOAS hosts on-campus internships such as a 64-hour Education Co-Creator scheme for undergraduates and a 60-hour Santander Micro-internship for students pursuing entrepreneurial careers.该校提供校内实习机会，包括面向本科生的 64 小时「教育共创者」项目，以及面向有志创业学生的 60 小时桑坦德微型实习。

Notable people

• Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor of Myanmar and winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, studied at SOAS.缅甸国务资政、1991 年诺贝尔和平奖得主昂山素季曾就读于亚非学院。

• Paul Robeson, the African-American singer and actor, studied at SOAS in the 1930s and later gave his name to one of its halls of residence.非裔美国歌手兼演员保罗·罗伯逊于 1930 年代在亚非学院就读，该校一栋宿舍此后以他命名。

• Mette-Marit, Queen of Norway, is among the school's alumnae.挪威王后梅特·玛丽特是该校校友。

• Sir Edward Youde, the 26th Governor of Hong Kong and a former British Ambassador to China, was an alumnus.第 26 任香港总督、前英国驻华大使尤德爵士是该校校友。

• David Wilson, Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, the 27th Governor of Hong Kong, also studied at SOAS.第 27 任香港总督、蒂利伦的威尔逊勋爵卫奕信亦曾就读于亚非学院。

• John Atta Mills, a former President of Ghana, graduated from the school.加纳前总统约翰·阿塔·米尔斯毕业于该校。

• Bülent Ecevit, a former Prime Minister of Turkey, studied at SOAS.土耳其前总理比伦特·埃杰维特曾就读于亚非学院。

• Wang Gungwu, the historian and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, is an honorary fellow of SOAS.历史学家、香港大学前校长王赓武是亚非学院名誉院士。

• Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans, who was born in China, is an alumna of SOAS.生于中国的《鸿：三代中国女人的故事》作者张戎是该校校友。

• Edward Denison Ross, the linguist known for his work in Oriental languages, was the inaugural director of the school.以东方语言研究闻名的语言学家爱德华·丹尼森·罗斯是该校首任院长。

• Sir Cyril Philips served as director from 1956 and oversaw the school's post-war growth and modernisation.西里尔·菲利普斯爵士自 1956 年起任院长，主导了学校战后的扩张与现代化。

• David Lammy, a former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Zeinab Badawi, the broadcaster who serves as the school's President, are both connected with SOAS.英国前副首相戴维·拉米，以及担任该校校长的广播人扎伊纳布·巴达维，都与亚非学院有渊源。