A nuanced, global perspective in Philosophy and Islamic Humanities

A nuanced, global perspective in Philosophy and Islamic Humanities


To say that there’s nothing like the exploration of human thought, culture, and history at SOAS University of London is an understatement. In just over a hundred years since its founding as furniture of the British Empire, the university is now renowned for its sustained critical attitude towards colonialism and empire. SOAS is the original home of countering eurocentric ideology, by focusing on research and practices that primarily focus on minoritised voices.

SOAS is place where no philosophical tradition stands supreme over any other: Anglo-European perspectives are studied in tandem with those from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. This allows students to challenge contemporary worldviews in an unbiased light. The narratives are decolonial and anti-essentialist, which brings forth “local” and “minor” knowledge that you hardly find elsewhere. No other programme comes close to this level of diversity and inclusion, and decolonial mindset.

For many academics and student at SOAS, knowledge is something not consigned to ivory towers. It is rooted in the lives of people. Research and pedagogical projects at the School of History, Religions, and Philosophies vividly exemplify this refreshing perspective.

To focus on just two examples, the “Alternative Explanations: Disability and Inclusion in Africa” project bands together scholars, healthcare workers, and people with disabilities across Nigeria, Cameroon, and South Africa to examine their deep-rooted beliefs on disability and access to healthcare through the art of theatre, creative writing, and philosophy. Equally, scholars and practitioners ranging from engineers to sci-fiction novelists are collating the potential of China’s influence on artificial intelligence through “The Chinese Discourse of AI in Global Context: Towards a New Ethical Eco-System” project, aimed at bridging East Asian and Anglo-European practices.

By being on the same campus as students and academics working on these kinds of projects, you’ll graduate with analytical, intellectual, and critical prowess – skills desired by employers looking to change the world.

Students at SOAS engage with cutting-edge research projects with world-class faculty members that uncover long-forgotten histories. Source: SOAS

Immersive, in-depth, intensive

The School of History, Religions and Philosophies is launching two new Master of Arts programmes, which are the first of their kind in the UK: MA Global Philosophy and MA Islamic Humanities. Both programmes are 1 year full-time; and both programmes offer an intensive language route on a range of African, Asian, and Middle Eastern languages, lasting 2 years of full-time study. MA Global Philosophy and MA Islamic Humanities take place on the university’s Bloomsbury campus, a cosmopolitan setting fitting for the intellectual vibrancy of these two MA programmes.

“We wanted to develop a forward-looking programme that had broader horizons than the usual Islamic studies programme, which tend to have a narrow focus on particular aspects of religion, narrowly conceived, and to be limited to theology and philology in their pedagogy,” says Professor Ayman Shihadeh — the Head of the School of History, Religions, and Philosophies — about the MA Islamic Humanities programme.

That means taking a nuanced, interdisciplinary approach to the study of Islam and the Islamic world, traversing through the social, cultural, and intellectual history of the religion and its culture to prepare students for the conversations of today.

Students undergo courses grounded in the diversity of Islamic intellectual culture through history, religion, literature, philosophy, and aesthetics. They’ll take trips to manuscript libraries like the British Library in London, grasp authentic lived experiences told across Islamic communities, and find connections between Muslim and non-Muslim societies.

On the MA Global Philosophy side of things, the subject of philosophy is applied to global issues of profound importance, such as the climate crisis, social inequalities, modernity, and racial capitalism. It expands on the School’s acclaimed undergraduate programme in World Philosophies – the only one of its kind in the UK – which homes the world’s first-ever decolonising philosophy curriculum toolkit and handbook.

“Because we treat students as participants in the learning experience and not merely as recipients of information, the knowledge and insights that they bring into the classroom and wider institutional culture greatly enrich the learning experience,” Shihadeh says.

SOAS University of London students visit manuscript libraries in London and gain access to scholarships that aren’t found elsewhere. Source: SOAS

Your employability, enhanced

British Council, Edelman, Princeton University, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and more — these are world-class companies and organisations where SOAS graduates from the School of History, Religions, and Philosophies are currently thriving. It comes as no surprise, because SOAS designs its programmes for your success.

“The programme offers flexibility to allow students to take more courses in one or more particular disciplines. This would prepare them to continue on the same trajectory in a doctoral research project,” Shihadeh states. “The subject-specific knowledge and skills will also equip students to pursue a career in a sector that requires cultural or regional knowledge and cultural sensitivity.”

SOAS graduates are highly sought after as they are not only adept with critical and analytical skills, but are digitally literate, have excellent communication skills, and ahead of the curve with producing cutting-edge research.

Today, 75,000 SOAS alumni are paving the way for a more inclusive world. If you’d like to be one of them, aided by the latest authoritative decolonial and culturally inclusive scholarship — then check out SOAS University of London here.



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