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Postgraduate Study

About the Centre of South Asian Studies

The Centre of South Asian Studies, which is located in the Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, was established in May 1964.  It is primarily responsible for promoting within the University the study of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Himalayan Kingdoms and Burma, but has extended its activities to include Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong.  South Asian studies are well represented in the different Faculties – especially in History, Economics, Human, Social and Political Science, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Divinity and Geography.  The Centre runs its own MPhil degree course in Modern South Asian Studies.

The Centre holds a weekly South Asian studies seminar in term and organises occasional workshops and conferences.  A distinguished scholar gives an annual Kingsley Martin Memorial Lecture on one of the subject areas covered by the Centre.  The Centre also co-operates with other universities and similar bodies in the encouragement of research in South and Southeast Asian subjects.  A library of about 50,000 items has been built up which includes monographs, volumes of serials, and microforms of Indian newspapers and government archives.  In addition the Centre houses an archive of unique materials relating to the European connection with South and Southeast Asia over the past 200 years.  There are approximately 600 written collections, 900 maps, 150,000 photographs, and 80 collections of cinéfilms.  The film collection is now streamed over the internet and, together with the oral history collection, is available on the Centre’s website.

1 course offered in the Centre of South Asian Studies

This is a postgraduate course with a substantial research component, which runs for nine months covering the three terms (Michaelmas, Lent and Easter). It is designed to enhance the understanding of social, cultural, political and economic history; and the present geopolitical and policy environment in South Asia. It provides intensive research and language training for those who wish to go on to prepare a doctoral dissertation, but it is also a freestanding postgraduate degree course in its own right. Teaching and learning for the course take place in the Centre of South Asian Studies and the various humanities and social science faculties and departments.

More Information

Department Members


Professor Sujit Sivasundaram
Head of Department

  • 1 Academic Staff
  • 2 Postdoctoral Researchers
  • 13 Graduate Students

http://www.s-asian.cam.ac.uk/

Research Areas