The Persia Society was founded in 1911 but wound up in 1929. Its successor, the Iran Society, came into being in 1935. Between them, these two societies have spanned most of the twentieth century and a variety of phases in Anglo-Iranian relations. The aims are to bring together those interested in Iran's history and culture by means of lectures and occasional publications, to spread knowledge and understanding of Persian culture in the UK and thus to contribute to Anglo-Iranian understanding and friendship.
The Royal Society for Asian Affairs (RSAA) was formerly known as The Royal Central Asian Society (originally, The Central Asian Society). The Central Asian Society was established in 1901 under the direction of Dr Cotterell Tupp, Captain Francis Younghusband, Colonel Algernon Durand, and General Sir Thomas Gordon. On 1 January, 1975, the Society changed its name to The Royal Society for Asian Affairs, reflecting a shift of emphasis from narrowly Central Asian matters to an embrace of Asia as a whole. The shift of emphasis had already been marked (in 1970) by the renaming of the Society's Journal as Asian Affairs. Formerly, Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society, the Society's Journal has been published continuously since 1914. The present remit of the RSAA is the contemporary economic, political and social developments of every Asian country.