Quick update to below: I am currently writing a paper on Stein’ circle of female friends and will give publication details shortly.

I realise it has been a while since I posted anything. I have several posts in progress and am listing them below, both to remind myself and just in case anyone reading this is very keen on any particular topic. If so, let me know in the comments and, if possible, I will move it up to the top of the list (although it will also depend on how much research is remaining).

Stein’s Circle of Female Friends

Aurel Stein is often presented as rather solitary with only a few close male friends. In reality, he readily made friends of many of the women he encountered in his professional and personal life. This post looks at some of these women and their friendships with Stein.

Stein and Jiang Xiaowan: A Lasting Friendship

In 1906 when Aurel Stein (1862–1943) arrived at Kashgar for his Second Central Asian Expedition (1906–8) he was to meet Jiang Xiaowan, his Chinese interpreter for the expedition. Over 18 months of travelling together they became friends. Although they had only a few opportunities to meet again this was a friendship that endured until Jiang’s death. As Jeanette Mirsky noted in her 1977 biography of Stein, this was ‘a true friendship, the equality that united despite differences in culture, language, and status’ [298] And, as she further notes, of all the friends Stein made on his expeditions, Jiang ‘was the closest.’ [299]

Early Exhibitions of Stein, Part 6: 1925–26: Objects Brought by Sir Aurel Stein from his Third Expedition to Central Asia

Continuation of the series: I have a couple more to add after this.