Asia and Asians at Harvard Conference—Day 2
This is the second day of the two-day conference. Check full conference details here.
Harvard’s longstanding, reciprocal relationships with Asia have shaped scholarship, policymaking, and cultural life both on our campus and across the region. This two-day conference will illuminate history by showcasing pivotal encounters, initiatives, and collaborations linking Harvard and Asia since the late 19th century; by celebrating Asian students, faculty, and visitors whose work has redefined disciplines and campus culture; by critically examining Harvard’s role in Asian policymaking, development, and institution-building, acknowledging successes and shortcomings; and by sparking new, equitable collaborations that broaden Asia-related teaching, research, and public engagement at Harvard.
Registration is not required but appreciated for planning purposes.
Day 2: Friday, November 14, 2025
8:15 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Distinguished Visitors: Asian Intellectuals and Public Figures at Harvard
Moderator: Shigehisa Kuriyama, Reischauer Institute Professor of Cultural History; Director, Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies; Interim Chair in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, FAS; and Faculty Director for the Humanities, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
Panelists:
Mou Banerjee, Assistant Professor of History, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Ph.D. in History, Harvard University
“Imperfect Encounters: South Asians and Harvard in the Early 20th Century”
Yan Yu, Associate Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Visiting Scholar, Harvard History Department, FAS
“Repurposing the ‘Civilizing Mission’: A Japanese Sinologist at Harvard, 1915–1916”
Eugene Chua, Harvard College Student
“Kissing Harvard Goodbye: The Cold War Considerations of Lee Kuan Yew’s American Visits”
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Pioneers and Pathways: Asian Student Experiences at Harvard
Moderator: Sun Joo Kim, Harvard-Yenching Professor of Korean History, FAS, Harvard University
Panelists:
Sujin Elisa Han, Ph.D. candidate in History and East Asian Languages, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University
"Shared Paths, Unique Stories: Harvard's Korean Alumni”
Mui Poopoksakul, Independent Literary Translator, Berlin; Harvard College Graduate
"You Are What You Read/You Read What You Are: Text Choice, Translation, Undergraduate Years"
Shayna Leng, Harvard College Student
“The Earliest Asian Women at Radcliffe College”
Kashish Bastola, Harvard College Student
“'Democratizing Monarch?' Harvard in the Himalaya and King Birendra at Harvard”
12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Harvard’s Engagement in U.S. Policy Towards Asia
Moderator: Sugata Bose, Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs, FAS, Harvard University
Panelists:
Eleanor Wikstrom, M.Sc. in Social Science of the Internet, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford; Harvard College Graduate
“Making Subjects of Subjects: Harvard and the Transnational Project of U.S. Colonial Education in the Philippine”
Erika Lee, Bae Family Professor of History, FAS and the Faculty Director of the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Harvard University
"Harvard Eugenicists and Immigration Restriction in the U.S."
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Professor of International Relations and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS), Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University
“A Cold War Redux in Asia: Harvard’s Legacy and Role”
Nghia Nguyen, Harvard College Student
“Harvard and the Vietnam War: Contestation vs. Support”
2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.
Harvard’s Asian Futures: Rethinking Institutional Legacies and Regional Engagement
Moderator: Jay Rosengard, Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Panelists:
Joseph Esherick, Emeritus Professor of Modern Chinese History, University of California, San Diego
“Studying China at Harvard in the 1960s”
William P. Alford, Jerome A. and Joan L. Cohen Professor of Law; Director, East Asian Legal Studies Program; Chair, Harvard Law School Project on Disability
"Impact Taking Many Forms"
Robin Albrecht, MArch Candidate, Department of Architecture, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
"Exporting Expertise: Institutionalizing Planning Education in Southeast Asia"
Ingrid Ahlgren, Curator for Oceanic Collections, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, FAS, Harvard University; Research Associate, Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History
“Recovering Voices: Using Museum Collections to Address Institutional Histories”
Michael Puett, Victor and William Fung Foundation Director, Harvard University Asia Center; Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and AnthropologyFAS; Harvard College Professor
"Harvard and the Study of Southeast Asia"
4:50 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closing Acknowledgement
Rachelle Walsh, Executive Director, Asia Center, FAS, Harvard University
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Exhibition
Memories and Milestones: Asia and Asians at Harvard
On view November 2025 – March 2026
Harvard Asia Center
CGIS South, First Floor Lounge
1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
Concurrent Pop-up Exhibition at Houghton Library
15 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA
On view November 14–15, 2025
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Organized by the Transnational Asia Initiative, Harvard University Asia Center
Director: Professor Michael Puett
Faculty Lead: Professor Sugata Bose
With guidance and support from: Professors Sun Joo Kim; Annette Damayanti Lienau; Malavika Reddy; James Robson; Jay Rosengard; Mark Wu.
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Co-sponsored by the Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Korea Institute, the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, the Harvard-Yenching Institute, and the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies.
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Related course: See the course HIST 1966 - Asia and Asians at Harvard taught by Professor Sugata Bose.