The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but s ...

of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the society has been a forum, through lectures, its journal, and other publications, for scholarship relating to Asian culture and society of the highest level. It is the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

's senior

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership m ...

in the field of Asian studies. Fellows of the society are elected regularly. Fellows include highly accomplished and notable scholars of Asian studies. They are entitled to use the post-nominal letters ''FRAS''.The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations, 2nd edition, Market House Books Ltd and Oxford University Press, 1998, ed. Judy Pearsall, Sara Tulloch et al., p. 175Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage 2011, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, p. 26The International Who's Who of Women 2002, 3rd edition, ed. Elizabeth Sleeman, Europa Publications, p. xiWho's Who in Malaysia and Singapore, John Victor Morais, 1973, p. 423

History

The society was founded in London in 1823, with the first general meeting being held on 15 March at the Thatched House on St James's Street, London, chaired by Henry Thomas Colebrooke. This meeting elected the officers (including Charles Williams-Wynn as the first president) and council, defined that the name of the society was the Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and that members should be designated Members of the Asiatic Society (MAS). It also empowered the council to frame regulations (these were approved at the next general meeting on 19 April), to look for a suitable site for the society's meetings, and to seek a charter of incorporation. Later that year, at a general meeting held on 7 June, Williams-Wynn announced that King George IV, who had already agreed to be patron of the society, had granted the title of "Royal" to the society, giving it the name of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and its members the designation Members of the Royal Asiatic Society (MRAS). The society received its charter under that name on 11 August 1824. The RAS was established by a group primarily composed of notable scholars and colonial administrators. It was intended to be the British counterpart to the

Asiatic Society of Calcutta The Asiatic Society is a government of India organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of "Oriental research", in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions. It was founded by the p ...

, which had been founded in 1784 by the noted

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

scholar and jurist Sir William Jones. A leading figure in the foundation of the RAS was Henry Thomas Colebrooke, who was himself an important Sanskrit scholar, and one time President of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta. Another was

Sir George Staunton, 2nd Baronet Sir George Thomas Staunton, 2nd Baronet (26 May 1781 – 10 August 1859) was an English traveller and Orientalist. Early life Born at Milford House near Salisbury, he was the son of Sir George Leonard Staunton (1737–1801), first baronet, di ...

, a Chinese-speaking diplomat who had worked in China. When the Oriental Club of London was formed in 1824, membership of the RAS was stated as one of the four qualifications for membership of the new club. Due to the nature of the society's close connection with the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

in the east, much of the work originating with the society has been focused on topics concerning the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

. However, the purview of the Society extends far beyond India: all of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and into Islamic

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, and Ethiopia are included. The Society does have a few limitations on its field on interest, such as recent political history and current affairs. This particular moratorium led to the founding of the Central Asian Society, which later became the

Royal Society for Asian Affairs The Royal Society for Asian Affairs (RSAA) is a learned society based in London (United Kingdom). Its objective is to advance public knowledge and understanding of Asia through its worldwide networks, its public events, its publications and its s ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, with the gradual end of British political hegemony 'east of

Suez Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same bou ...

', the Society maintained its disinterested academic focus on Asia. Originally, members of the society were styled Members (MRAS), Honorary Members (Hon. MRAS), Corresponding Members (CMRAS) and Foreign Members (FMRAS). By the 1870s, the post-nominal letters ''FRAS'', indicating fellowship of the society, were being used by some members, including the physician and writer on India

John Forbes Watson John Forbes Watson (1827–1892) was a Scottish physician and writer on India. Life Born in Scotland, Watson was the son of an Aberdeenshire farmer, George Watson and his wife Jean McHardy. He was educated at the University of Aberdeen, where he ...

, and the writer on India and co-founder of the India Reform Society John Dickinson. This usage continued through the twentieth century, advertisements in the Society's Journal also reflecting the use of the letters ''FRAS'' by some members, although all members of the society were referred to as "members" in the 1908 constitution, and it was not until 1967 that reports of the Anniversary Meeting referred to "fellows" rather than "members". , members are designated "fellows" or "student fellows"; no post-nominals are assigned by the society to these grades in its regulations, but the use of the post-nominal letters ''FRAS'' is recognized in numerous reference works. The post-nominal letters are used by some academics working in Asia-related fields, and have been used in the society's journal in reference to the Indologist Dr Michael D. Willis, and to the poet and translator of Bengali Dr

William Radice William Radice is a poet, writer and translator. He is the senior lecturer in Bengali in the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. His research area is in Bengali language and literature. He has translated several Bengali ...

and the Islamic scholar Leonard Lewisohn. Notable members and fellows of the society have included Rabindranath Tagore,

Sir Aurel Stein Sir Marc Aurel Stein, ( hu, Stein Márk Aurél; 26 November 1862 – 26 October 1943) was a Hungarian-born British archaeologist, primarily known for his explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia. He was also a professor at ...

, Sir Wilfred Thesiger, and George V. Tsereteli.

Branches

The society is affiliated with associate societies in India (

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

, Bangalore, Madras, and Bihar), the former branch in Mumbai now being known as the

Asiatic Society of Mumbai The Asiatic Society of Mumbai (formerly ''Asiatic Society of Bombay'') is a learned society in the field of Asian studies based in Mumbai, India. It can trace its origin to the Literary Society of Bombay which first met in Mumbai on 26 November 18 ...

. It is also affiliated with the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch (established in 1847), the Asiatic Society of Japan (established in 1875), the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (established in 1877), and

Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch is a learned society based in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1900 as the world's first Korean studies organization, it was founded to provide a platform for scholarly research on the history, culture and ...

(established in 1900). In China, the former South China Branch is now known as the Hong Kong Branch. The North China branch has been re-established in 2006 in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

as the Royal Asiatic Society China, the original branch having been founded in 1857 and dissolved in 1952. It has chapters in Suzhou and Beijing.

Journal

The ''

Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society The ''Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society'' is an academic journal which publishes articles on the history, archaeology, literature, language, religion and art of South Asia, the Middle East (together with North Africa and Ethiopia), Central Asi ...

'' (''JRAS'') is published by

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

four times a year, each issue containing a number of scholarly essays, and several book reviews. It has been published under its current name since 1991, having previously been the ''Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland'' (1834–1991) and ''Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland'' (1824–1834). The present editor of the journal is Professor Sarah Ansari of Royal Holloway, University of London. The Executive Editor is Charlotte de Blois. The society also regularly publishes historical manuscripts, and monographs of the highest academic quality on numerous topics.

Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland

This fund was initially established in 1828. The results of its initial funding projects were soon forthcoming. The Fund became one of a large number of Victorian subscription printing clubs which published translations, re-issued historical works or commissioned original books which were too specialized for commercial publication; but unlike most of those now defunct organizations, the work of the Royal Asiatic Society Oriental Translation Fund is on-going into the 21st century with a "new series" and "old series" microform catalog available for scholarly research.

President

Currently (2021–), the President of the Society is Professor Sarah Ansari and the vice-president is Dr. B. Brend.

Past presidents

* 2018-2021 Anthony Stockwell * 2015-2018 Gordon Johnson * 2012–2015 Peter Robb * 2009–2012 Gordon Johnson * 2006–2009 Anthony Stockwell * 2003–2006 Francis Robinson * 2000–2003 Anthony Stockwell * 1997–2000 Francis Robinson * 1993–?1997 David W. MacDowall * 1990–1993 Prof. Adrian David Hugh Bivar * 1988–1990 Frank Steele * 1979–1988 Sir

Cyril Philips Sir Cyril Henry Philips, FRAS (27 December 1912, Worcester – 29 December 2005, Swanage, Dorset), knighted in the 1974 New Years Honours List, was a noted British historian and academic director. Early life His father had worked as an engine dr ...

* 1976-1979 Charles Fraser Beckingham * 1973–1976 Prof. E.H.S. Simmonds * 1970–1973 Basil William Robinson * 1967–1970 Charles Fraser Beckingham * 1964–1967 Prof. Sir Harold Walter Bailey * 1961–1964 Sir

Richard Olaf Winstedt Sir Richard Olaf Winstedt (2 August 1878 – 2 June 1966), or more commonly R. O. Winstedt, was an English Orientalist and colonial administrator with expertise in British Malaya. Life and career Winstedt was born in Oxford and educated a ...

* 1958–1961 Gerard L.M. Clauson * 1955–1958 Sir

* 1952–1955 Sir Ralph Lilley Turner * 1949–1952 Sir

* 1946–1949 The Earl of Scarbrough * 1943–1946 Sir

* 1940-1943 Viscount Samuel * 1939-1940 Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon * 1937–1939 Malcolm Hailey, 1st Baron Hailey * 1934–1937 David Samuel Margoliouth * 1931–1934 Edward Douglas Maclagan * 1928–1931 Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland * 1925–1928 Edward Douglas Maclagan * 1922-1925

Robert Chalmers, 1st Baron Chalmers Robert Chalmers, 1st Baron Chalmers, (18 August 1858 – 17 November 1938) was a British civil servant, and a Pali and Buddhist scholar. In later life, he served as the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge. Background and education Chalmers was b ...

* 1921–1922

Richard Carnac Temple Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'str ...

* 1893–1921 Donald James Mackay, 11th Lord Reay * 1890–1893 Thomas George Baring * 1887–1890

Thomas Francis Wade Sir Thomas Francis Wade, (25August 181831July 1895) was a British diplomat and sinologist who produced an early Chinese textbook in English, in 1867, that was later amended, extended and converted into the Wade-Giles romanization system for M ...

* 1884–1887 William Muir * 1882–1884

Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, 1st Baronet, (29 March 1815 – 29 May 1884) was a Welsh British colonial The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered b ...

(2nd term) * 1881 Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke * 1878–1881 Henry Creswicke Rawlinson * 1875–1878 Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke * 1872–1875

* 1869–1871 Henry Creswicke Rawlinson * 1867–1869 Percy Smythe, 8th Viscount Strangford * 1864–1867 Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke * 1861–1864 Percy Smythe, 8th Viscount Strangford * 1858 William Henry Sykes * 1855–1858 Horace Hayman Wilson * 1852–1855

William Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton William Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton, (June 1799 – 23 March 1864) was a British businessman and a Whig (British political party), Whig politician who later became a Tory (British political party), Tory. Background and education William ...

* 1849–1852 Lord Ellesmere * 1843–1849 Earl of Auckland * 1842–1843 Lord Fitzgerald and Vesey (died in office) * 1841–1842 George Augustus Frederick Fitzclarence (died in office) * 1823–1841 Charles Williams-Wynn

References

Some Society publications

*"Charter of Incorporation of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland." ''Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society.'' pp 25–27, 1957. *Beckingham, C.F. ''Centenary Volume of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1823-1923.'' Pargiter, F.E. (ed.) Published by the Society, 1923, London. *Mashita, Hiroyuki. ''Theology, Ethics and Metaphysics: Royal Asiatic Society Classics of Islam.'' Routledge Publishing, 2003. *Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. B. W. Robinson. ''Persian Paintings in the Collection of the Royal Asiatic Society'' Routledge, 1998. *Rost, Reinhold. "Miscellaneous Papers Relating to Indo-China and the Indian Archipelago" Reprinted for the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, from the "Journals" of the Royal Asiatic, Bengal Asiatic, and Royal Geographical Societies; the "Transactions" and "Journal" of the Asiatic Society of Batavia ... Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Malayan Branch Published by Trübner & co., 1887. *Tritton, Arthur Stanley. ''Muslim Theology...'' Royal Asiatic Society by Luzac, 1947. * Winternitz, Moriz (compiled), Frederick William Thomas (appendix). ''A Catalogue of South Indian Sanskrit Manuscripts: Especially Those of the Whish Collection Belonging to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.'' Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Library. Whish Collection, 1902.

Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Catalogues

* *

Miscellaneous

* * * * *Leyden, John. (2013)
Miscellaneous Papers Relating to Indo-China and the Indian Archipelago, Reprinted for the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.
London: Forgotten Books. (Original work published 1886)

References relating to the Society and noted Fellows

*Finn, Elizabeth Anne McCaul. ''Reminiscences of Mrs. Finn, Member of the Royal Asiatic Society.'' Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 1929. *Hunter, William Wilson. ''Life of

Brian Houghton Hodgson Brian Houghton Hodgson (1 February 1800 or more likely 1801 – 23 May 1894) was a pioneer naturalist and ethnologist working in India and Nepal where he was a British Resident. He described numerous species of birds and mammals from the Hima ...

: British Resident at the Court of Nepal, Member of the Institute of France; Fellow of the Royal Society; a Vice-president of the Royal Asiatic Society, Etc.'' J. Murray, 1896. *Simmonds, Stuart, Simon Digby. "The Royal Asiatic Society: its history and treasures": ''In commemoration of the sesquicentenary year of the foundation of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.'' E. J. Brill, 1979. * Skrine, Francis Henry, William Wilson Hunter. ''Life of Sir William Wilson Hunter, K.C.S.I., M.A., LL.D., a Vice-president of the Royal Asiatic Society.'' Longmans, Green, and Co., 1901. *Taintor, Edward C. "The Aborigines of Northern Formosa: A Paper Read Before the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society." Customs Press: Shanghai, 18 June 1874.

External links

Royal Asiatic Society website
* Charter of Incorporation of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Hong Kong branchMalaysian branchNorth China Branch Journal
(Full texts of older editions online.)
South Korean branchShanghai branchSri Lanka branch
{{Authority control 1824 establishments in the United Kingdom Ancient Near East organizations Clubs and societies in London Learned societies of the United Kingdom Organisations based in the United Kingdom with royal patronage Organizations established in 1824 Asiatic Asian studies