John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
After decades of advocacy from faculty, alumni, and students, Stanford University has launched the Asian American Research Center at Stanford (AARCS) to connect and expand interdisciplinary research on Asian American issues. Housed in the School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S), the center aims to provide a research home for faculty, students, and the public while supporting and expanding scholarship on Asian Americans.
Funding for AARCS comes from generous gifts by a global community of donors, including alumnus Eric Ly. The center was co-founded by H&S faculty members Gordon H. Chang, Stephen Sano, and Jeanne Tsai. Chang will serve as the inaugural director starting in fall 2024.
“Thanks to the faculty, alumni, and students who have long fought to advance Asian American studies, Stanford has evolved to understand the role it should and must play in building our knowledge about Asian Americans,” said Chang. “A research center at this university has the potential to kick off a new wave of innovative, community-engaged research on Asian American issues.”
Stanford's history is closely linked with Asian American populations and the Asian Pacific region. Chinese laborers played a significant role in building the transcontinental railroad that established Leland Stanford’s fortune. Today, 27% of Stanford’s undergraduate population is Asian American.
“I am grateful to our phenomenal faculty and alumni community for standing up this important research center – I could not be more excited by the outpouring of support and great ideas,” said Debra Satz, Dean of H&S. “Long overdue, the center will focus research efforts on Asian Americans – their lives, histories, contributions, and struggles.”
The need for an Asian American studies program at Stanford became evident during a peaceful sit-in by students in 1989. Among other demands were calls for Latino/a and Asian American Studies programs. In response, Stanford hired Chang and David Palumbo-Liu to help establish these programs.
The university later founded the Asian American Studies Program as part of its Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. However, according to Sano, more needed to be done to advance scholarship.
“The program primarily focuses on teaching undergraduates,” Sano said. “The center will enrich the existing program by fostering interdisciplinary research on Asian Americans.”
Tsai was a student at Stanford during the 1989 sit-in. “As a psychology major... I wanted psychology to speak to my experiences as an Asian American,” she said.
In 2020, with anti-Asian violence spiking during the pandemic, Ly and other classmates approached Tsai with plans for AARCS during their class reunion planning process.
“Events in the world over the last few years have demanded that we think big,” said Ly. “By supporting this work at Stanford... we want to help lead a transformation of scholarship on Asian Americans.”
AARCS aims to foster interdisciplinary research across various schools within Stanford including education, engineering, law, medicine, sustainability science & practice programs like business among others while also connecting students & scholars with policymakers & community members alike via conferences addressing pertinent societal challenges such as anti-Asian violence/bias limiting leadership opportunities available today across different sectors
This winter saw AARCS issue its inaugural call for seed grant applications focused around three core areas - Research/Education/Community Outreach receiving enthusiastic responses resulting ultimately awarding eight grants:
1) Assistant Professor Eujin Park studying racial identity considerations among Bay Area teacher candidates committed towards social justice
2) Center South Asia producing working paper exploring South Asians’ artistic contributions locally
3) Education doctoral candidate Hannah D'Apice conducting archival comparisons between Berkeley/Columbia universities’ impact upon resources/inclusion within formal curricula
4) Modern Thought/Literature doctoral candidate Jennifer Lee examining early Korean-language periodicals housed USC shaping modern identities therein
5) Education doctoral candidate Lillian Wolfe analyzing cultural engagement styles influencing female transracial adoptees' birth culture connections
6) English doctoral candidate Christine Xiong researching 'picture brides' passages linking literature/oceanic critical studies together
7) Undergraduate Alexandra Huynh investigating Vietnamese refugeehood experiences shaping legal system relationships U.S.
8) Undergraduate Kaelyn Wei-Min Ong documenting Little Tokyo development coordinators' identity conceptions affecting community work
For further information or questions regarding AARCS please visit their website or contact via email: stanfordaarcs@stanford.edu
Joy Leighton can be reached at joy.leighton@stanford.edu & Holly Alyssa MacCormick via hollymac@stanford.edu respectively representing School Humanities/Sciences departments respectively delivering news insights/events daily basis ensuring informed inspired readership globally renowned institution overall
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