The Hebrew University of Jerusalem congratulates Professor Ronit Ricci, from the Departments of Asian Studies and Comparative Religion and the Sternberg-Tamir Chair in Comparative Cultures, on her election as an International Fellow of the British Academy— one of the highest distinctions in the humanities and social sciences. Professor Ricci is among just 32 International Fellows elected in 2026, recognized for her internationally acclaimed scholarship on language, religion, and cultural exchange across South and Southeast Asia.
Prof Ronit Ricci is an internationally recognized scholar whose research has transformed the study of language, religion, and cultural exchange across South and Southeast Asia. A professor in the Hebrew University’s Departments of Asian Studies and Comparative Religion and the Sternberg-Tamir Chair in Comparative Cultures, her work explores Javanese and Malay manuscript cultures, literary transmission across religious traditions in Indonesia, theories and practices of translation, and exilic and diasporic writing. Her pioneering work reveals how texts, languages, and ideas traveled across the Indian Ocean, shaping religious and cultural identities over centuries.
Ricci is also the founder of Israel’s first academic program in Indonesian Studies, developing the field at the Hebrew University while fostering scholarly collaborations with researchers across Indonesia and the wider region. Her current European Research Council-funded project, Textual Microcosms, studies the history and significance of interlinear translation across the Indonesian-Malay world between the 16th-21st centuries.
Founded in 1902, the British Academy is the United Kingdom’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. Election to its Fellowship is among the highest distinctions in these fields, recognizing scholars whose research has made exceptional contributions to advancing knowledge and understanding. The Academy’s Fellowship includes more than 1,800 leading scholars from the UK and around the world.
Professor Oron Shagrir, Rector of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, congratulated Professor Ricci on the honor: “Professor Ronit Ricci’s election to the British Academy is a richly deserved recognition of a remarkable scholar whose work has transformed our understanding of the movement of ideas, languages, and cultures across Asia. Through pioneering research, academic leadership, and international collaboration, she has built bridges between cultures while advancing knowledge in profound and lasting ways. This prestigious honor reflects not only the exceptional quality of her scholarship, but also the global impact of her contributions. We are immensely proud of her achievement and extend our warmest congratulations.”