SOAS honorary awardees for 2024
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SOAS University of London will award honorary degrees to seven distinguished individuals at this year’s graduation ceremonies.
The awardees include economist Dr K.Y. Amoako; the Uyghur ethnographer Professor Rahile Dawut; writer and psychotherapist Dr Gail Lewis; author, scholar and curator Professor Anthony Bogues; philanthropist Lord David Sainsbury; the economist and former Governor of the Bangladesh Bank Dr Atiur Rahman and the historian and sinologist Professor Gungwu Wang.
Dr K.Y. Amoako
Dr K.Y. Amoako is one of Africa's leading economists and has been at the forefront of development thinking for the past 50 years. His impact has been profound. He will be awarded a Doctor of Science (Social Sciences) in recognition of his work. A teenager at the time of Ghana’s independence and inspired by the vision of a prosperous and united Africa, Dr Amoako shaped and spearheaded many of the issues and policies central to Africa’s development. A pioneer and passionate advocate for African transformation, he has worked alongside African leaders and some of the world’s most prominent development specialists to tackle many of the most pressing African and global development issues. As he marks his 80th birthday, his unmatched contribution is a symbol for young African scholars to play a significant contribution in transforming Africa.
Professor Rahile Dawut
Uyghur ethnographer Professor Rahile Dawut will be awarded an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the scholarship of Uyghur cultural heritage, notably on Uyghur shrine culture, and for many years of teaching a new generation of Uyghur anthropologists and folklorists. Professor Dawut was detained by the Chinese authorities in December 2017, during the crackdown on "religious extremism" in Xinjiang, and she is currently serving life imprisonment.
Dr Gail Lewis
Dr Gail Lewis is an author, academic and psychoanalytic psychotherapist. She will be awarded a Doctor of Literature (DLit) (honoris causa) in recognition of her substantial contribution to Black British feminism, anti-racism and anti-imperialist thought grounded in path-breaking and world-leading scholarship, and decades of Black feminist activism and activist knowledge production in the UK.
Professor Anthony Bogues
Professor Anthony Bogues will be awarded a Doctor of Literature (DLit) (honoris causa) in recognition of his substantial contribution to the studies of African and African diaspora political theory, African and Caribbean politics; Global South development issues; Caribbean Art; political economy of race, and slavery and the history of capitalism. The award also acknowledges his significant work as founder and Director of the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University.
Lord David Sainsbury
Lord David Sainsbury is a businessman, philanthropist and a former politician. He will be awarded an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his remarkable philanthropy, the founding of the Gatsby Foundation, and in particular its work in education, public policy, the arts, plant science, and neuroscience. The award also recognises Lord Sainsbury’s substantial contribution and advocacy for inclusive structural transformation in the African continent, particularly in East Africa, and industrial innovation policy globally. He has funded several SOAS initiatives and has a strong interest in the SOAS Centre for Sustainable Structural Transformation. Lord Sainsbury will be celebrating his award at a future graduation ceremony which will be announced nearer the time.
Dr Atiur Rahman
Dr Atiur Rahman is Emeritus Professor at the Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka and the founder and Chairman of Unnayan Shamannay, the globally acclaimed research and advocacy organisation. He will be awarded a Doctor of Science (Economics) (DSc(Econ)) (honoris causa) in recognition of his substantial contribution to the alleviation of poverty through his work as a renowned economist. The award also acknowledges Dr Rahman’s tenure as the 10th Governor of Bangladesh Bank, as a leader in taking innovative central banking initiatives conducive to sustainable development, financial inclusion, and social innovation. Dr Rahman was awarded the Commonwealth scholarship and joined SOAS University of London to pursue his MA and PhD in Economics (1983). He will also deliver a lecture at SOAS on central banking and climate change in relation to Bangladesh on 6 September.
Professor Gungwu Wang
SOAS alumnus Professor Gungwu Wang is a leading historian on China and China's relations with Southeast Asia. He will be awarded a Doctor of Humanities for outstanding contributions to Sinology (honoris causa), in recognition of his pioneering contributions to expanding the understanding of China across time and space, through outstanding, critical, and interdisciplinary scholarship.
Banner photo, left to right, top then bottom: Professor Rahile Dawut, Dr Gail Lewis, Lord David Sainsbury, Dr K. Y. Amoako, Dr Atiur Rahman, Professor Anthony Bogues, and Professor Gungwu Wang.