About Us
SOAS Pashto Society is dedicated to promoting and celebrating Pashto—an Eastern Iranian language from the Indo-European language family, spoken by 70-80 million people primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Due to colonial and postcolonial hierarchies, Pashto has remained underprivileged in the domains of power, and it is underrepresented both globally and within academic spaces like SOAS. The society is determined to address this gap and its major aims are:
1. To raise the profile of Pashto through cultural, academic and social activities.
2. To encourage dialogue between Pashto and other languages and cultures in an inclusive environment.
3. To challenge and break down stereotypes about Pashto and Pashto-speaking communities and highlight the richness of Pashtun heritage.
The society will organize a variety of events—including study circles, seminars, poetry recitals, music concerts, cultural stalls and exhibitions—to explore and celebrate the diverse aspects of the Pashtun heritage. These events will engage the wider cross-cultural community and provide a platform for the growing population of Pashto speakers in the UK.