What’s On

The Society runs an active programme of public lectures, seminars, book launches and other events throughout the year on a range of subjects relating to Asia.

These events are usually held at the Society’s Lecture Hall in London and each is accompanied by a small reception. Unless otherwise specified, our events are open to all members of the public and no booking is required. There is no charge for our regular lectures and, where possible, events are streamed live over Zoom. If you would like to attend any of these events online, please contact Evelyn Dodds by email: emd@royalasiaticsociety.org and the Zoom link and password will be provided. Please note the number of online attendees is limited so early registration is advised.

Our upcoming events are listed below. To see our upcoming events in a calendar format, click here.

  • All
  • Book Launch
  • Japan Series
  • Lecture

(Japan Series) Junzo Uchiyama – Surviving the Apocalypse: Catastrophe Archaeology in Ancient Japan

19 March 2026 (Thursday)

Dr Melanie Gibson – Frederick Leighton: A Victorian Traveller and Collector in the Middle East

26 March 2026 (Thursday)

(Japan Series) Kitazawa Hideta – Noh theatre masks: demonstration and discussion

31 March 2026 (Tuesday)

Susan Bean – Hidden in Plain Sight: Clay Sculpture in South Asia

16 April 2026 (Thursday)

(Japan Series) Peter Kornicki – Hidden knowledge: why Edo-period Japan was not a print society

23 April 2026 (Thursday)

Dr Yashashwini Chandra – Title TBA

30 April 2026 (Thursday)

RAS Collections Evening 2026

7 May 2026 (Thursday)

Theodore Mould – In Search of Phillipo: An Armenian Merchant Between Two Empires

12 May 2026 (Tuesday)

(AGM + Japan Series Closing Lecture) Prof Simon Kaner – Towards 150 years of Japanese archaeology and its broader Asian connections

14 May 2026 (Thursday)

Past Events

Recordings of most lectures and events are uploaded to our YouTube channel. If you missed one of our events, or would like to revisit the content from a past event, you could view these recordings on our channel. Our two latest recordings are embedded below.

Dr Christopher Harding – Barbarians: The First Century of Encounter Between Japan and Europe, 8 January 2026
Nicolas Revire: Charting Dvāravatī: The Making of an Early Buddhist Polity In Central Thailand, 18 September 2025

Support Us

The Society is an independent charity and relies on the generosity of its members and donors to continue with its work. Your support will enable us to organise more inspiring events for anyone with an interest in Asia. If you enjoy our events, consider supporting us by making a donation.