Global Samurai symposium in London and online, 10-11 April
Oleg Benesch
Dear Colleagues,
Those of you based in the UK may be aware of the Samurai exhibition currently on at the British Museum. This major exhibition examines the samurai as both historical figure and cultural construct, and explores how their image has been fabricated, idealized, adapted and co-opted for a vast range of purposes from the medieval period to the present day.
I wanted to let you all know about a forthcoming symposium we’re holding at SOAS University of London, on 10-11 April 2026, presenting the results of the international research project on "Global Samurai", co-chaired by Dr Rosina Buckland (Curator of the Japanese Collections at the British Museum) and myself. Both in-person and online participation will be possible.
The exhibition has also provided a catalyst for a major 5-year research project that has fed into its development. A team of more than twenty scholars from around the world has been examining the history of the samurai and the global consumption of the samurai myth. This public symposium presents an opportunity to delve more deeply into aspects of the samurai revealed by this new research, and to ask questions of the experts behind the project, several whom are members of this list.
The research project has fed into the new book Samurai that accompanies the exhibition, as well as into two forthcoming special issues of Japan Review, the first of which will appear shortly.
Please find attached the programme for the symposium. We are hoping to have the website live in the next few days, together with registration information, but we just wanted to get the word out now as the event is approaching. We hope to see many of you there and online!
All the best,
Oleg
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