What books are SOAS academics reading this winter break?
MA student Lilly asks academics what they plan to read this winter break, from diving into colleagues' latest research to exploring more works from a favourite author.
Sure, winter break is for family, good food, and well-deserved rest. I understand that - conceptually. But in practice? It’s terribly hard to go cold turkey on the student lifestyle. It’s an inside joke in academia, really, that we dream of piña coladas when we’re nose-deep in research, only to find ourselves longing for dense, dusty tomes when we finally take a break.
If you’re anything like me, you might be missing the formidable comfort of a particularly loquacious reading or the surety of a good SOAS lecture and an even better tutorial. Fear not, I come bearing an academic fix - in the SOAS sensibility, of course.
Here’s what some of our professors are reading this winter break—readings that just might interest you too.
How Ancient India transformed the world
The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World is on Dr Somnath Batabyal's (Lecturer in Media in Development and International Journalisms) reading list. Dr Batabyal describes William Dalrymple as a dear friend and mentor, and he’s looking forward to tackling his most recent work on Ancient India and its profound influence on the rest of the world.
Somnath's bonus recommendation: The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden.
A behind-the-scenes look at a world-famous museum
As Dr Narguess Farzad (Senior Lecturer in Persian Studies) describes, Patrick Bringley's All the Beauty in the World “offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at one of the world’s most famous museums, where Bringley spent a decade working as a security guard. He finds solace among these world-famous, timeless artworks, and his reflections touch on processing grief, the power of art and the stories and journeys of some of these pretty, unique works that tell."
Narguess's bonus recommendation(s!): On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak, White Torture by Narges Mohammadi.
Essays on Palestinian diplomatic relations
Dr Ali Alavi (Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Iranian Studies) is setting aside time to read Between Diplomacy and Non-Diplomacy: Foreign relations of Kurdistan-Iraq and Palestine. This collection of essays looks at an overlooked subject matter: Palestinian diplomatic relations with other countries. Each chapter tells a different story, and of the many remarkable authors, Dr Alavi is one of them!
Ali's bonus recommendation: The Persian Prince: The Rise and Resurrection of an Imperial Archetype by Hamid Dabashi.
Kenzaburō Ōe essays on Okinawa
Nobel laureate Kenzaburō Ōe is someone Dr Filippo Cervelli (Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Literature) studies closely. Okinawa nōto (Okinawa Notes) is a collection of essays that examines human rights in the Okinawa region, something which later led to Ōe being prosecuted for defamation.
Filippo's bonus recommendation: The Silent Cry by Kenzaburō Ōe.
Extra reading
If that’s enough to satiate you, my fellow nerds, here’s one more reading list, curated from recommendations I picked up during lectures this term (courses that I’m in denial are over).
- The Land of Open Graves by Jason De León. If you read only one book about migration, it ought to be this one. De León’s striking account of migrant experiences at the U.S./Mexico border is an accessible, powerful work.
- Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal. This funny, thought-provoking novel centers on a Punjabi community in London, exploring generational division and the unexpected community erotica creates.
- Bladerunner (1982). Yes, I know it’s a movie, not a book, but hear me out: my professor dubbed this the postmodern film. Besides, it’s a classic!
- Of Sirens, Body & Faultlines. This breathtaking collection of political poetry by Nat Raha was written as part of her PhD. This is a perfect example of the intersection between art and academia.
Here’s to a break full of loved ones, rest, and perhaps most of all, reading.
About the author
A.L. (Lilly) Clausen received an MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and a BA in International Political Economy from Sarah Lawrence College. She is currently an MA candidate in Cultural Studies at SOAS, University of London, where she researches the publishing industry through the framework of late-stage capitalism. When she's not lost in a good book, Lilly loves to sing, tap, and craft stories on the page.
