School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

School of Oriental and African Studies operates as a leading public research institution through its membership in the University of London system which designates it as an educational institution. The university in London operates from its Bloomsbury district campus which specializes in teaching about the languages and cultures and societal systems of Africa and Asia and the Middle East. SOAS stands as the sole European academic institution which studies international relations through its dedicated research of specific geographical areas. The main campus which encompasses Russell Square contains the SOAS Library which functions as a national library and regional studies collection that holds more than 1.5 million items.

The institution began its operations in 1916 as the School of Oriental Studies when it obtained its Royal Charter to teach British administrators and diplomats and commercial managers who would work throughout the British Empire. After its establishment at Finsbury Circus the organization shifted to its present Bloomsbury location during the 1940s. The institution changed its name in 1938 to include the term "African" because its research activities and professional knowledge had grown beyond its previous boundaries. The school provided essential language education to military members and translators throughout World War II to support the war effort. SOAS evolved through time from a vocational training center which educated colonial officials into an academic institution that developed "decolonizing" historical and social science programs which challenged European academic traditions.