NEWS OF THE PROFESSION Annual Report of the Association for Asian Studies, 1960-1961 This report covers the period March 31, Society, the Association has taken an active i960, through March 31, 1961. It summarizes interest in the meetings of the International the major institutional aspects of the Associa- Congress of Orientalists and has helped to tion and the prominent developments of the secure assistance for American scholars who year in the affairs of the Association. It is in- participate in the sessions of the Congress. tended primarily as a report to the member- Since 1941 the Association has been a con- ship, but should convey to others the aims and stituent society of the American Council of activities of the Association. Learned Societies. The Association for Asian Studies came into The Association is dedicated to the view that formal existence as the Far Eastern Association Asian studies of a sound character are essential on April 2, 1948. In February 1957, the name to the scholarly life of the nation and that an of the Association was changed to the present improved understanding of Asia is required title, signifying the expansion of the schol- in the national interest. The Board of Direc- arly interest of the Association to include tors of the Association regularly reviews the southern Asia. At present the Association needs in the field and the capabilities of the stands as the leading scholarly organiza- Association in terms of those needs. It is the tion in the field of Asian studies in the aim of the Association to fulfill its obligations United States. Its normal scholarly respon- within the larger framework of the national sibilities include publication of the Journal of interest. Asian Studies, the annual Bibliography of The central fact concerning the affairs of the works on Asia, the Monograph Series, and Association during the year under review has two Newsletters. The Association convenes an been its substantial growth. This has been a annual meeting at which are presented a va- multi-dimensional growth in a number of areas riety of panels of scholarly papers. Because of and in the complexity of the responsibilities the multi-disciplinary nature of the member- undertaken. The growth of our functions, un- ship, the annual program brings together spe- dertaken to support or enrich the development cialists on Asia from a number of fields of of Asian studies, has meant a continuous rise intellectual and academic endeavor. in the demands made on our resources. Though The Association has undertaken responsi- the Association secures a substantial sum of bility for the stimulation of sound academic money from membership dues, from the sale growth of Asian studies in the nation. To of its publications, and from the management this end it assists several regional meetings of of various funds earmarked for specific re- Asian specialists, sponsors and supports groups search or development projects, the increase in of scholars engaged in specific research under- scope and function has made it necessary for takings, serves as a clearing house for informa- the Association to secure outside financial as- tion on the development of Asian studies here sistance through foundation help. During the and abroad, maintains a placement office, and past year the Ford Foundation has given sym- manages grants and contracts given by founda- pathetic and generous attention to the program tions and other agencies to support scholarly and needs of the Association. Early in 1961 research and publication on Asia. With foun- the Ford Foundation awarded $165,000 to the dation assistance, the Association has spon- Association as a five-year general support sored visits by distinguished Asian scholars to grant. colleges and universities in the United States. The growth in functions, membership, and In cooperation with the American Oriental resources has thus been considerable. Arising 563 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.33.14, on 29 Sep 2021 at 13:46:06, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021911800123812 564 JOURNAL OF ASIAN STUDIES from such increase is the important problem Board of Directors, the Secretariat, and the of the sound management of growth. Each various committees. major function requires supervision or imple- In the past year the Association's membership mentation by a group with relevent skills expanded significantly. At the end of its first within the membership of the Association. year of operation the Association had a total This has meant a steady increase in the num- ber of committees authorized by the Board of membership of 606. In March 1959, the Directors. At the same time, the emergence of membership had grown to 1,124 and in March new committees and sub-committees to handle 1961, we had a total of 1,765 members. Table a variety of functions implies the need for 1 presents membership figures by class of improved coordination and communication membership for the past two years and for the within the Association, primarily between the year under review. TABLE 1 3/61 3/60 3/59 Honorary Members 5 5 5 Patron 0 0 0 Life Members 14 11 9 Supporting Members 29 57 35 Regular Members 1,297 1,061 1,037 Student Members 305* 364 -0- Associate Members 29 34 38 1,679 1,532 1,124 *Student membership originated as a new category during 1959-60. Table 2 provides information on the geographical distribution of our membership for 1960-61. The figures given do not include the category of Associate Membership. TABLE 2 New England 190 West North Central 70 Maine 3 Minnesota 30 New Hampshire 5 Iowa 12 Vermont 23 Missouri 14 Massachusetts 106 North Dakota — Connecticut 46 South Dakota — Rhode Island 7 Nebraska 6 Kansas 8 Middle Atlantic 384 New York 273 South Atlantic 218 New Jersey 38 Delaware 2 Pennsylvania 73 Maryland 27 D. C 106 East North Central 236 Virginia 51 Ohio 26 West Virginia 2 Indiana 20 North Carolina 19 Illinois 75 South Carolina 3 Michigan 90 Georgia 1 Wisconsin 25 Florida 7 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.33.14, on 29 Sep 2021 at 13:46:06, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021911800123812 NEWS OF THE PROFESSION 565 East South Central 10 Mountain 32 Kentucky 6 Montana 3 Tennessee. Idaho 1 Alabama... Wyoming Mississippi. Colorado 10 New Mexico. 1 West South Central 21 Arizona 12 Arkansas 1 Utah 4 Louisiana 4 Nevada 1 Oklahoma 5 Texas 11 Pacific 297 Washington 54 Hawaii 23 Oregon 10 Alaska 0 California 233 Puerto Rico 1 Total Domestic Membership 1,482 Foreign Membership Australia. 4 Lebanon 1 Austria 1 Malaya 7 Belgium 2 Netherlands.. 1 Burma 2 New Guinea.. 1 Canada 23 New Zealand. 2 England 18 Pakistan 2 France 5 Philippines... 3 Germany... 3 Ryukyu 1 Hong Kong. 10 Sarawak 1 India 9 South Africa.. 2 Indonesia... 3 Sweden 2 Israel 2 Taiwan 15 Japan 36 Thailand 4 Korea 7 Venezuela 1 Total Foreign Membership 168 Total Membership (does not include Associate Members) 1,650 The growth of the Association during the what smaller margin. In 1955 we spent $15,- past year has been marked by a gratifying in- 087.92 from the General Fund and in i960 we crease in the number of subscriptions to the spent $44,099.51. Journal of Asian Studies. In March i960, we By 1956 the Association had published two had a total of 1,269 non-member subscriptions, monographs in its Series. By i960 we had while in March of 1961 we had 1,373. This published ten monographs and were making represents an increase of approximately 8 per arrangements for the reprint of one which had cent during the year. Total circulation of the sold out. In 1956 the Journal had a total cir- Journal in March 1961, was 3,068 copies. In culation of 1,788. In i960, as indicated above, March 1959, the total circulation was 2,111. the circulation was 3,068. This represents a A more complete report of the Journal of five-year increase of more than 60 per cent. Asian Studies follows this summary. Reference has been made to the steady During the year 1955, our revenues to the growth in the functions and responsibilities General Fund totalled $14,487.75. In the year of the Association and to the concommitant i960, General Fund revenues came to $54,- growth of functional and project committees. 766.82. This represents an increase in five years In 1956 we had five project committees: of approximately 270 per cent. During the Chinese Thought, South Asia, Asia Founda- same period expenditures increased by a some- tion Lectureship, Asian Summer Programs, Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.33.14, on 29 Sep 2021 at 13:46:06, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021911800123812 566 JOURNAL OF ASIAN STUDIES The Membership of the Association covers a wide range of disciplinary interests and includes faculty, graduate students, government officials, and others. Table 3 summarizes the analysis of our membership by professional status and discipline. TABLE 3 Professional Field History 396 Public Administration 4 Political Science and International Military 9 Relations 311 Agriculture 1 Lang., Lit., and Linguistics 128 Medicine 1 Anthropology Ill Indology 7 Far Eastern Studies 56 Natural Sciences 2 Economics 90 Journalism 12 Fine Arts 50 Unknown 195 Geography 60 Library Work 18 1,650 Philosophy and Religion 79 Professional Status Education 27 Faculty 820 Law 22 Student 308 Psychology 10 Government 136 Sociology 61 Others 202 Unknown 184 1,650 and the Committee on the Relation of Learned Foundation Lectureship Screening Committee, Societies to American Education.