ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 Table of Contents 1 Letter from the Director 2 2 Weatherhead East Asian Institute 4 3 70 Years 6 4 Research Community 8 5 Publications 27 6 Research Programs of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and Affiliated Columbia Centers 32 7 Public Programming 36 8 Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies 47 9 Students 48 10 Asia for Educators Program 52 11 Staff of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute 55 12 Funding Sources 56 13 Columbia University Map: Morningside Campus and Environs 57 1 LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR us about the future of global migration, Research’s 2018–2019 Academy of and how the academy can encourage Korean Studies Postdoctoral Fellow. Her pathbreaking scholarship. research focuses on South Korean popular culture and its complex embodiments of In addition, WEAI welcomed three new neoliberalism. Last but not least, Eveline faculty members to our community. Washul conducted research examining Thomas Christensen, at the School of the history of geographical regions in Public and International Affairs, brings Tibet. We congratulate her, also, on his years of experience in academia and her new appointment as director of the diplomacy to the table as director of the Modern Tibetan Studies (MTS) Program new China and the World Program at at the Institute. Columbia. Assistant Professor Jinyu Liu joins us from the School of Social Work. Seventieth anniversary festivities officially Her research is focused on the support began with a gala reception in February I am delighted to report that the 2018– systems available to older Chinese adults in honor of both the WEAI and the Lunar 2019 academic year was an exciting in the US and China. Takuya Tsunoda, New Year. A brief introductory video and fruitful one for the Weatherhead assistant professor of Japanese film and highlighting the Institute’s history and East Asian Institute (WEAI). After a media in the Department of East Asian impact was screened for the first time busy fall semester, in January of 2019 Languages and Cultures, teaches courses at the reception. I invite you to view the we launched our yearlong celebration of on contemporary Japanese cinema video, which is available online along with the 70th anniversary of the Institute’s and media culture. We look forward to other 70th anniversary programming establishment in 1949. In order to working with them closely. updates, at: http://weai.columbia. showcase the Institute’s history as a edu/70-years/. We also launched a new pioneer of Asian studies, as well as its Among the new faces at the Institute monthly e-newsletter to complement ongoing commitment to innovation, last fall were a number of talented the popular weekly events emails. The we have chosen “New Directions” as research scholars. Joining WEAI as newsletters feature coverage of the the overarching theme of the 70th associate research scholars in the directors, scholars, and students, past anniversary. 2018–2019 academic year were Maria and present, who created and built the Adele Carrai, a sinologist specializing Institute, and who continue to give it The fall term began with the good news in the history of international law; Leta vibrant life today. PDFs of the newsletter that the Institute has been once again Hong Fincher, whose most recent book are sent out to our mailing list at the designated an East Asian National frames feminism within the context of end of each month and are available for Resource Center by the US Department the authoritarian Chinese state; and Colin download at the link above. of Education for 2018–2022. The Institute Jones, whose research focuses on the has held this distinction since 1960, and legal and intellectual history of Japan and With the start of the spring semester, we we are grateful for the renewed federal China. Mark Selden, a prolific historian of kicked off a calendar year of special 70th funding support, which will help WEAI modern Japan and China, and editor of anniversary programming. Several large- continue to blaze new directions in the the Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, also scale and well-attended events included a study of East and Southeast Asia. joined the Institute as a senior research conference on the centennial of the May scholar, bringing with him decades of Fourth Movement and a conference in The fall semester saw a number of expertise on East Asia. tribute to the late Dorothy Borg, a giant significant conferences and workshops, in the study of US-East Asian relations including a two-day event in honor of This year’s cohort of postdoctoral whose mentorship was important to the late Adam McKeown, who was a fellows was also strong. Yasmin Cho, several senior figures here at the Institute. member of the WEAI community and who has been affiliated at Columbia a pioneering scholar in the study of the since 2016, continued her work on As ongoing dramatic developments Chinese diaspora and global history. The a book on Tibetan Buddhist nuns in in Asia drew international attention, conference—cosponsored by the Institute Sichuan province. Hye Eun Choi, a Korea the Institute hosted a range of timely for Social and Economic Research and Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, spent lectures and discussions. Significant buzz Policy, Columbia’s History Department, the year revising her book manuscript was generated by the visit in April of and the Heyman Center—focused on on the recording industry in Korea under General H.R. McMaster, former national three thematic areas: how we understand Japanese rule. So-Rim Lee joined the security adviser to US President Donald Asia in the world, what history can tell community as the Center for Korean Trump, who spoke to an audience of 2 over 200 on the US-Japan relationship The Institute also launched a number with additional participants viewing the and Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy. of special series that will last through discussion via livestream. Additional 70th Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign the end of calendar year 2019. The anniversary programming is scheduled Affairs Szu-chien Hsu also appeared in particularly topical Reporting Asia series for the fall semester, and we hope to see June for a discussion with WEAI Professor provides attendees with an in-depth look many of you at these upcoming events. Andrew Nathan on the Taiwanese stance at journalism and media coverage in and toward the Indo-Pacific. We cosponsored of Asia. This invaluable opportunity to I should note, in closing, that we had a discussion, “Korea at a Crossroads: hear directly from reporters with on-the- some sad news early in the year, with Japan, South Korea, and the United States ground experience is more important now the announcement of Donald Keene’s Nuclear Umbrella,” at the Korea Society than ever, as widespread disinformation passing. Professor Keene was a lifelong with the Center for Korean Research, and low levels of media literacy are friend of the Institute and will be sorely which celebrated its 30th anniversary shaping the course of world events. missed. His contributions to the study in 2018. We also worked with the New The series began with a discussion on of East Asia, particularly in the fields of York Southeast Asia Network on several journalistic coverage of Vietnam and was Japanese culture and literature, were events, including a Brown Bag lecture with followed by a lecture on disinformation monumental. Professor Keene’s teachings former Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty and fake news production surrounding influenced generations of scholars at Natalegawa on the future of ASEAN. elections in Southeast Asia. A third event Columbia and indeed throughout the Such policy-oriented events have been a was held recently at the Columbia Global world, and no doubt they will continue to mainstay of WEAI programming since the Center in Beijing, and additional events do so for generations to come. A public early days of the Institute. are slated for the upcoming fall term. memorial service will be held at Columbia University in New York City on Friday, Our commitment to fostering new In addition to developing new September 27, 2019, and his legacy will directions in the study of Asia is geographical expertise, the Institute live on through the Donald Keene Center, demonstrated by the establishment of is also dedicated to supporting new which has established a scholarship fund new geographical foci for the Institute. An thematic and disciplinary directions. One in his memory. international symposium titled “Vietnam such direction is the study of science and China in the Longue Durée” marked and society in Asia, and this April, the Finally, I would like to thank Xiaobo the launch of a new Vietnamese Studies Institute held the first workshop in Lü and Madeleine Zelin for their initiative at Columbia. We congratulate our new Science and Society in Global characteristically strong leadership WEAI Professors Lien-Hang T. Nguyen Asia series. This workshop aimed to during my sabbatical leave in the and John D. Phan for spearheading further debates on decentering science 2017–2018 academic year. It has been the initiative to further scholarship on and technology studies from Western a privilege to serve as director during Vietnam, and we look forward to seeing contexts and provided a venue to explore this dynamic time, and I hope you will the program build momentum under their new conceptual vocabularies in the study join us in celebrating the Institute’s 70th able leadership. of science and technology. The series anniversary for the remainder of 2019. will continue in the fall with an archive The Modern Tibetan Studies (MTS) workshop organized in collaboration with Program, housed within WEAI, is also the C.V. Starr East Asian Library. Sincerely, celebrating a significant anniversary this year, which it is marking with a “Modern The academic year came to a close in Tibetan Studies at 20” event series.