The first International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences was held in London in 1934, though a preliminary conference had been held the previous year in Basel at the invitation of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. It had first been muted in 1912 after the London Session of the International Congress of Americanists. The Congress was held every four years in different locations but merged officially with the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences in 1968 which still holds Congresses every five years.

The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded by the eminent Sanskrit scholar Sir Henry Thomas Colebrooke on the 15th March 1823. It received its Royal Charter from King George IV on the 11th August 1824 'for the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia'. It continues as a forum for those who are interested in the languages, cultures and history of Asia to meet and exchange ideas.