Fonds WR - Papers of William Roff

Identity area

Reference code

GB 891 WR

Title

Papers of William Roff

Date(s)

  • 1910 - 2000 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

1 large archival box

Context area

Name of creator

Roff William R. 1929-2013

Biographical history

William Roff (mainly known as Bill) was born in Bearsden, in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. He joined the merchant navy in the late 1940s and worked for the British and Burmese Steam Navigation Company in Asia.. He settled in New Zealand, working as a journalist, and in 1952, he took up New Zealand's offer for anyone over 21 to enrol in tertiary education and studied part-time for a history degree and Masters at Victoria University, Wellington. He went to the Australian National University for his PhD, much of which was researched when living with a family in Kampung Jawa, near Kuala Lumpur. His thesis was subsequently published as The Origins of Malay Nationalism .

He taught at the University of Malaya from 1965-1969 before moving to the University of Colombia where he remained until his retirement. On retiring, he moved with his wife, Sue, to the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland, in the early 1990s, and was an honorary professorial fellow in Edinburgh University's Islamic and Middle Eastern department. Throughout his "retirement" he continued to supervise PhD candidates. He died in 2013, aged 84.

Repository

Royal Asiatic Society Archives

Archival history

The material was acquired or created by William Roff in the course of his research. It was left with his widow on his death who presented it to the Royal Asiatic Society.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

The material was donated by Sue Roff, the widow of William Roff, in 2023.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

These Papers of William (Bill) Roff relate mainly to his research interests in the Hajj pilgrimage particularly among pilgrims from Southeast Asia. The material consists of research notes, papers of Roff and others, and official documents.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

The material was donated in a series of labelled folders. The material from each folder has predominantly been kept together and series titled according to the folder label.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open. Please contact the archivist. Details can be found here : https://royalasiaticarchives.org/. The archive is open on Tuesdays and Fridays 10-5, and Thursdays 2-5. Access is to any researcher without appointment but it will help if an appointment is made via phone or email. Please bring photo ID.

Conditions governing reproduction

Digital photography (without flash) for research purposes may be permitted upon completion of a copyright declaration form, and with respect to current UK copyright law.

Language of material

  • English
  • Arabic
  • Malay
  • French

Script of material

    Language and script notes

    Physical characteristics and technical requirements

    Finding aids

    Allied materials area

    Existence and location of originals

    Existence and location of copies

    Related units of description

    A collection of photographs was donated with these papers. These form part of the Society's photographic collections. The Society's collections also hold several works written by Roff. Details can be found in our Library catalogue: https://ras.koha-ptfs.co.uk/.

    Related descriptions

    Notes area

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    Description control area

    Description identifier

    gb891-wr

    Institution identifier

    Rules and/or conventions used

    Status

    Level of detail

    Dates of creation revision deletion

    Language(s)

      Script(s)

        Sources

        Archivist's note

        The material was catalogued by Nancy Charley, RAS Archivist, in 2023.

        Accession area