Royal Asiatic Society

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The Royal Asiatic Society (official name: Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland ; abbreviation: RAS ) is a British learned society . It was founded in 1823 on the initiative of the orientalist Henry Thomas Colebrooke in London , where it is still based today, and received the Royal Charter from King George IV in 1824 .

The foundation charter states that the purpose of the company is to “promote research into topics related to science, literature and the arts related to Asia”. The area of interest of the Royal Asiatic Society extends not only to the entire Asian continent, but also to Islamic North Africa and Ethiopia . In contrast, society does not deal with historical and current political issues. For this purpose, the Royal Society for Asian Affairs was founded at the beginning of the 20th century .

The Society publishes the quarterly Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (JRAS) published by Cambridge University Press . Well-known members of the society include personalities such as Rabindranath Tagore , Benimadhab Barua , Aurel Stein , Wilfred Thesiger , Paul Georg von Möllendorff and Heinrich Leberecht Fleischer .

Legal status

The RAS was established by Royal Charter and is therefore not an association under private law, but a self-governing body that is registered with the Privy Council .

Regional organizations

In addition to the British parent company, there are several regional organizations that are recognized by the Royal Asiatic Society: India (Calcutta, Mumbai, Bangalore, Madras and Bihar); Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch; the Asiatic Society of Japan (established in 1875); the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society and the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch. A newer regional group was established in Shanghai in 2006 as the 'Royal Asiatic Society China'. The regional organizations regularly have their own libraries and collections and organize regional specialist events.

Awards and grants

The RAS regularly awards prizes and grants, including the "Royal Asiatic Society Award" (awarded every three years), the "Sir George Staunton Prize" for young scientists and the "New Barwis-Holliday Award" for established scientists. Specially donated prizes are awarded for research on topic-related work.

Former presidents

1823-1841 Charles Watkin Williams-Wynn
1841–1842 George Augustus Frederick Fitzclarence
1849-1852 Lord Ellesmere
1855-1858 Horace Hayman Wilson
1858 William Henry Sykes
1861-1864 Percy Smythe, 8th Viscount Strangford
1864–1867 Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke
1867-1869 Percy Smythe, 8th Viscount Strangford
1869–1871 Henry Creswicke Rawlinson
1872–1875 Henry Bartle Frere
1878-1881 Henry Creswicke Rawlinson
1884-1887 William Muir
1887–1890 Thomas Francis Wade
1890-1893 Thomas George Baring
1893–1921 Donald Mackay, 11th Lord Reay
1946-1949 The Earl of Scarbrough
1967-1970 Charles Fraser Beckingham
1970-1971 Basil W. Robinson
1997-2000 Francis Robinson
2000-2003 Anthony Stockwell
2003-2006 Francis Robinson

Scientific journals and book series published by the Royal Asiatic Society (selection)

Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 1 , edited by Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, Cambridge University Press for the Royal Asiatic Society, 1834 (accessed August 22, 2014).
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, Volume 17 , edited by Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, Cambridge University Press for the Royal Asiatic Society, 1885 (accessed August 22, 2014).
Journal of the China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society for the Year ..., Volumes 24-25 , edited by the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. China Branch, The Branch, 1890 (Retrieved August 22, 2014).
Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. North China Branch, Shanghai, China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. China Branch, Shanghai Literary and Scientific Society: Journal of the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Volumes 28-29 . Kelly & Walsh., 1898 (Retrieved August 22, 2014).
Journal of the North-China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Volume 29 , edited by the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. North-China Branch, The Branch, 1895 (Retrieved August 22, 2014).
Journal of the China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society for the Year ..., Volume 29 , edited by the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. China Branch, The Branch, 1895 (Retrieved August 22, 2014).
Journal of the China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society for the Year…, Volume 30, Issue 1 , edited by the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. China Branch, The Branch, 1897 (Retrieved August 22, 2014).

Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Volumes 31-33 , edited by the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Straits Branch, Printed At The American Mission Press, Singapore 1898 (accessed August 22, 2014).