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Department of Politics and International Studies

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About

Home to nearly fifty academic staff and more than 1,000 students across a mix of undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD programmes, the Department provides expert grounding in the study of Politics and International Relations through deep engagement with the historical legacies and political realities of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

The Department is unique in combining unparalleled regional expertise with an approach to world politics that foregrounds perspectives from across the Global South.

Global rankings

16th in the world for Politics

QS World University Rankings 2026

3rd in the world for Academic Reputation

In Politics – QS World University Rankings 2026

2nd in the UK for International Faculty

SOAS ranks 2nd for International Faculty in the UK – QS World University Rankings 2025

If you want to study politics from a non-western angle, this is the place to be. Most of our academics speak one or more of the languages in the regions they study and spend substantial periods of time in their countries of expertise.

This enables us to produce world-leading research. It also informs our teaching. Together with our students, we explore politics in the rich and complex worlds of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

— Professor Matthew Nelson, Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies

Meet the academics

The department counts 50+ academics from across a range of subjects and expertise.

Tackling the World's biggest challenges

At SOAS we aim is to tackle the World's biggest challenges through academic collaboration and cooperation. In our latest series, academics from the Department of Politics and International Studies discuss climate change and human rights issues.

Around the department

Research at Department of Politics and International Studies

The Department of Politics and International Studies is unique in its coverage of the world regions and respected for its combination of in-depth expertise of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and a critical approach to knowledge production.

Our centres

Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy

The Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London.

Centre for Energy and Climate Policy

Centre for Energy and Climate Policy (CECP) at SOAS University of London

Centre on Conflict, Rights and Justice

Centre on Conflict, Rights and Justice at SOAS University of London

Centre for Comparative Political Thought

The Centre for Comparative Political Thought at SOAS University of London.

London Asia-Pacific Centre for Social Science

The London Asia Pacific Centre for Social Science, SOAS University, University of London.

Centre of Taiwan Studies

The Centre of Taiwan Studies at SOAS University of London.

Latest news

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Latest events

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See all department events

In this section

Research at the Department of Politics and International Studies

Blogs

Department of Politics and International Studies

How can we end the war in the Middle East when states are locked in?

The war in the Middle East shows no sign of ending quickly. With Iran, Israel and the United States all locked into their own political pressures, the risk of wider escalation - and its consequences for global trade, energy and stability - is growing. So what could actually force a way out? SOAS Professor Dan Plesch explains.

College of Social Sciences, College of Law & Department of Politics and International Studies

US‑Israeli attack on Iran risks plunging the world into turmoil

An escalating US–Israel assault on Iran risks igniting a wider regional war, destabilising the global economy, and plunging the world into a dangerous new geopolitical crisis.

Department of Politics and International Studies & College of Social Sciences

Epstein files: We need to talk about the girls and young women, not powerful men

The Epstein files are exposing powerful men, but what about the girls and young women at the centre of his abuse network? Prof. Awino Okech demands we refocus.

Department of Politics and International Studies & College of Social Sciences

Supporting the fight against climate change: My SOAS Summer Internship

BA student Maya Patra discusses her SOAS Summer Internship at a climate change advisory service and what it taught her.

Department of Politics and International Studies & College of Social Sciences

Britain has neglected Africa and the Commonwealth for over a decade: 4 ways it can reset relations

The UK is resetting relations with Africa and the global south, seeking stronger, more equal partnerships. Dr Nick Westcott explains how this is a pivotal opportunity to rebuild ties and tackle global challenges.

Alumni, College of Law & Department of Politics and International Studies

Meet Iqra Hasan: SOAS alum making history as India's youngest female Muslim MP

Iqra Hasan Choudhary studied at SOAS and has now made history as the youngest Muslim woman to enter the Indian Parliament. Shloka explores her inspiring journey.
Research

PACT project

A ground-breaking multi-disciplinary research collaboration, PACT will create an advanced digital platform on the making of the Indian constitution (1950), one of the most influential in the global South.

View this project

Reframing Justice after Atrocity

Through historical and modern case studies in Latin America, Europe and Africa and the new conceptual framework of “arenas of accountability”, this project examines justice interactions that go beyond the linear international-to-national transmission of norms and practices.

View this project

Civic Infrastructures of Torture

The project is based on exclusive access this research team has been granted to the archive of PCATI, which documents torture practices implemented by Israeli security agencies.

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Migration Governance and Diplomacy

This project investigates how migration governance has been influenced by “refugee crises” and how crises at large shape policy responses on migration.

View this project

Pan-African Frontiers and Identities

This multi-sited collaborative research project explores the diverse deployments of pan-Africanism as a geopolitical and policy framework both on the African continent and in the diaspora.

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African State Architecture

Professor Julia Gallagher and a team of researchers lead the African State Architecture project funded by a major grant from the European Research Council.

View this project

Strategic Concept for Removal of Arms and Proliferation (SCRAP)

A comprehensive approach to realising global disarmament.

View this project

ACE: Innovative approaches to anti-corruption

Finding impactful anti-corruption strategies around the world.

View this project

Recognising the women who shaped the UN Charter

Recognising the key role of women of the Global South in establishing the equality of the sexes in the UN Charter of 1945.

View this project
Events

14 April 2026

Book talk: 'China's Strategic Culture and Relations Across the Taiwan Strait: a Perilous Triangle'

Dr Neil Munro gives a book talk on the new volume 'China’s Strategic Culture and Relations Across the Taiwan Strait', examining what China’s strategic behaviour means for cross-Strait security and UK-Taiwan policy.

14 April 2026

Book launch: 'Taiwan Undaunted'

MA Taiwan Studies alumnus Neal E. Robbins gives a talk on his new book, “Taiwan Undaunted: In Search of the Nation That Cannot Call Itself a Nation”.

15 April 2026

Book Launch: Lara Sheehi, From the Clinic to the Streets: Psychoanalysis for Revolutionary Futures

Join us for an in-depth and interdisciplinary conversation with Lara Sheehi, Ghassan Abu-Sittah, Louis Allday, and Rami Rmeileh about Dr Sheehi’s new book, From the Clinic to the Streets: Psychoanalysis for Revolutionary Futures (Pluto, 2026).

20 April 2026

Toppling heads: regime change and immunity in international law

This talk explores what happens to international law when it is ignored, and regime change is driven by force not democracy.

21 April 2026

Documentary screening: 'Strangers and Their Babies'

Documentary screening of 'Strangers and Their Babies', which uncovers the little-known Penghu refugee camps and follows four camp-born children as they trace their families’ journeys.

21 April 2026

'In the Making: An Australia-Taiwan Indigenous Art Exchange': screening and discussion

Dr Sophie McIntyre screens and discusses the bilingual documentary 'In the Making', exploring collaboration between Indigenous artists from Australia and Taiwan.