Chali Lee, Steve Sano, Jeanne Tsai, and Gordon Chang giving remarks at the AARCS Launch Celebration.

Welcome to the Asian American Research Center at Stanford

A collage of four book covers arranged horizontally.

Books published by AARCS faculty affiliates. 

Learn More About AARCS Research

A group of people talking around a table displaying manuscripts and photos.

Scholars looking at the Asian American Art Initiative's archives at the IMU UR2 Symposium. Photo credit: Harrison Truong. 

Learn More About Opportunities with AARCS

A group of people smiling.

Learn More About the Asian American Community at Stanford

A speaker standing at the podium and four panelists sitting on stage. An audience is listening to them.

The IMU UR2 Symposium hosted by the Asian American Art Initiative (AAAI). Photo credit: Harrison Truong 

Learn More About Upcoming Events

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Mission Statement

The Asian American Research Center at Stanford (AARCS) is an interdisciplinary hub for generating and sharing knowledge about Asian American/diaspora issues. We support and make accessible innovative research into all dimensions of Asian American life.

Message from the Founding Directors of AARCS

Jeanne Tsai, Gordon Chang, Steve Sano

The dedicated efforts of Stanford faculty, alumni/ae, students, community activists, and philanthropists are responsible for establishing the Asian American Research Center at Stanford (AARCS). To counter the surge in anti-Asian violence during the covid epidemic, we committed ourselves to finding a way for the University to contribute to shaping a better future for our communities. Ours is a positive response to the ignorance and hate directed against Asian Americans, and with the support of the Stanford administration, we founded AARCS, now a permanent part of the University. Our commitment is to advance scholarship, learning, creative expression, and advocacy related to Asian Americans.

Stanford, as a place of humanist values, educational purpose, and distinguished scholarship, has long-standing connections with Asian American communities. The University itself came from the wealth of Leland Stanford, a railroad baron whose fortune came from the labor of thousands of Chinese railroad workers. Its institutional history is intertwined with the experiences of Japanese, Filipino, Korean, South Asians, and Southeast Asians, and other ethnicities with ancestries in the vast Asia-Pacific region. Our location on the west coast of the country with its many growing Asian American communities, a student body with a visible presence of Asian American students, and a faculty richly populated with colleagues of Asian descent are further compelling reasons for the establishment of AARCS.

AARCS will advocate for, promote, and actively support Stanford scholars and students, undergraduate and graduate, who advance knowledge about Asian Americans, pursue Asian American-related intellectual and creative efforts, and promote their voices. We seek to partner with Asian American communities outside of the University to help articulate collective concerns and interests. We support those who seek a world free from racism and other forms of injustice.

Gordon Chang, Stephen Sano, Jeanne Tsai 

Events

November
14
Date
Thursday, November 14, 2024. 12:00pm - 1:15pm
Location
Building 200, History Corner
450 Jane Stanford Way, Building 200, Stanford, CA 94305
302

Join us for an insightful talk featuring Dr. Junko Takeda (Stanford PhD, 2006), Professor of History at Syracuse University and Chair of the…

November
15
Date
Friday, November 15, 2024. 11:30am - 1:30pm
Location
Building 360
Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE), 450 Jane Stanford Way Building 360, Stanford, CA 94305
CCSRE…

Join us for an engaging workshop where you can collaborate and refine your ideas alongside fellow grad students! This interdisciplinary space…

Spotlights

Gordon Chang delivering his remarks at the AARCS Launch Celebration | Photo by: Stephen Sano

AARCS Celebrates Its Launch: An Evening of Community, Vision, and Inspiration!

The Asian American Research Center at Stanford (AARCS) officially kicked off its launch with a wonderful celebration hosted at the beautiful home of Laura Ching and Eric Chen. Sponsored by AARCS, the event brought together faculty, alumni, and supporters to mark AARCS's inaugural year at Stanford.

AARCS Honors Betty He’s Contributions and Welcomes Chali Lee as the New Program Associate!

We announce exciting changes within the AARCS leadership team. We bid farewell to Betty He, whose dedication and contributions as Research Associate leaves a lasting impact on AARCS. We also welcome Chali Lee, a queer Hmong scholar and community organizer, as our new Program Associate.

Collage of the eight seed grant recipients' photos.

Seed Grant Sponsored Projects

Learn more about the eight faculty and student projects sponsored by AARCS's inaugural seed grant funding program. 

Clay masks of different faces displayed on a wall.

Faces of Ruth Asawa. Photo credit: Andrew Brodhead

Asian American Art Initiative

Based at the Cantor Arts Center, the Asian American Art Initiative (AAAI) is dedicated to the study of artists and makers of Asian descent.