Members of MIASU were sad to hear of the death of Professor Roberte Hamayon on 20 March 2025. She was an inspiration to and long time friend of the Unit creating lasting links through the scholars that trained with her and those who continue her legacy.
Roberte Hamayon was a ground-breaking scholar of Mongolia, Buryatia and Siberia. She introduced a structuralist and comparativist approach to studies of the indigenous cultures of the region, and her work on shamanism in particular, as well an astonishing range of other themes from gender to theories of ‘play’, remain a lasting testimony to her immense contribution.
As a person she was always charming and gracious to all she met. In 2016 the MIASU was delighted to award Roberte with the first Onon Prize at a celebration event in Cambridge. A longer tribute will follow in the journal 'Inner Asia'.