Asia and Asians at Harvard Conference

Harvard’s enduring engagement with Asia has shaped scholarly inquiry, public policy, and campus life—within the University and across the region. This two-day conference convenes faculty, students, alumni, and institutional partners from across Schools and disciplines to examine the evolving relationship between Harvard and Asia from the late nineteenth century to the present and to consider paths forward.

Through a series of presentations, the program revisits formative encounters, collaborations, and institutional linkages; recognizes the contributions of Asian students, scholars, and visitors who have transformed fields and enriched the University; and offers an assessment of Harvard’s roles in U.S. policy, development, and institution-building in Asia, acknowledging both contributions and consequences.

Looking ahead, the conference asks how Harvard can advance more inclusive, equitable, and regionally balanced approaches to the study of Asia and to University engagement with the region—strengthening partnerships, deepening interdisciplinary research and teaching, and enhancing public impact.

Registration is not required but appreciated for planning purposes.

Two-Day Conference

Day 1: Thursday, November 13, 2025
CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street

4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. 
Welcome and Opening Reflections
Michael Puett, Victor and William Fung Foundation Director, Harvard University Asia Center; Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology; Harvard College Professor

Opening Panel
Susan J. Pharr, Edwin O. Reischauer Research Professor of Japanese Politics, Harvard University
Sugata Bose, Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs, Harvard University

Traditional Sumatran Dance Performance 
Presented by Harvard Indonesian Students Association 

Reception
Concourse Area, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street
 

Day 2: Friday, November 14, 2025
CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street

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, Harvard University
Panelists: 
Mou Banerjee, Assistant Professor of History, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Ph.D. in History, Harvard University
Eugene Chua, Harvard College Student 
Susan J. Pharr, Edwin O. Reischauer Research Professor of Japanese Politics, Harvard University 
Yan Yu, Associate Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Visiting Scholar, Harvard History Department

10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Break 

10:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.                  
Pioneers and Pathways: Asian Student Experiences at Harvard 
Moderator: Sun Joo Kim, Harvard-Yenching Professor of Korean History 
Panelists: 
Sujin Elisa Han, Ph.D. candidate in History and East Asian Languages, Harvard University
Shayna Leng, Harvard College Student 
Mui Poopoksakul, Literary Translator; Harvard College Graduate 
Kashish Bastola, Harvard College Student  

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Lunch 

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.          
Harvard’s Engagement in U.S. Policy towards Asia 
Moderator: Sugata Bose, Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs, Harvard University
Panelists:   
Erika Lee, Bae Family Professor of History and the Faculty Director of the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Harvard University
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) and Associate Professor of International Political Economy, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University
Eleanor Wikstrom, MSt in Global and Imperial History, University  of Oxford; Harvard College Graduate  
Nghia Nguyen, Harvard College Student 

3:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Break 

3:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.                     
Harvard’s Asian Futures: Rethinking Institutional Legacies and Regional Engagement
Panelists:  
Robin Albrecht, MArch Candidate, Department of Architecture, Harvard  University Graduate School of Design  
Bill Alford, Jerome A. and Joan L. Cohen Professor of Law; Director, East Asian Legal Studies Program; Chair, Harvard Law School Project on Disability 
Joseph Esherick, Emeritus Professor of Modern Chinese History, University of California, San Diego
Michael Puett, Victor and William Fung Foundation Director, Harvard University Asia Center; Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology; Harvard College Professor 

4:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.            
Closing Acknowledgement
Rachelle Walsh, Executive Director, Asia Center, Harvard University  

Co-sponsored by the Asia Center, the Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Korea Institute, the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, and the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute.