History of Art and Politics

History of art and politics is a combination that invites you to think about two fundamental dimensions of human life: the visual and material cultures through which people have expressed meaning and identity, and the structures of power through which societies govern themselves and compete for resources. History of art trains you to analyse how images, objects, and built environments carry meaning and how that meaning is produced, circulated, and contested. Politics examines how power is organised, exercised, and challenged, asking what it means to govern and to be governed, and how political ideologies and institutions shape the lives of individuals and communities.

At the School of Oriental and African Studies, this three-year, full-time degree is shaped by SOAS's particular orientation towards the cultures and histories of Asia and Africa, meaning your engagement with both art and politics is situated within a genuinely global and non-Eurocentric perspective. A foundation year is available for students who benefit from additional preparation before the degree proper. You will develop skills in visual and textual analysis, historical and political research, and critical argumentation, and you will encounter artistic and political traditions that complicate and enrich the frameworks most commonly taught in British higher education.

A typical entry tariff of 136 points reflects the programme's accessibility for intellectually motivated students from varied backgrounds.

Graduates of this combination go on to work in arts and cultural policy, gallery and museum work, journalism, publishing, the civil service, international development, NGOs, and a wide range of other fields where analytical thinking and communication skills are valued. The cross-cultural perspective developed at SOAS is particularly distinctive. Postgraduate study in art history, politics, international relations, or area studies is a common next step.