AARCS Hosts Asian Americans and Politics in the 21st Century Symposium

Published on September 30, 2025.

On September 4-5, the Asian American Research Center at Stanford (AARCS) hosted the Asian Americans and Politics in the 21st Century Symposium, a two-day gathering of scholars, students, and community leaders exploring the evolving role of Asian Americans in U.S. politics. Held at the Stanford Humanities Center and organized by Dr. Shelley Lee, Professor of American Studies and History at Brown University, and Dr. Chris Suh, Associate Professor of History at Emory University, the symposium created an engaging space for dialogue on voting patterns, elected office, activism, jurisprudence, and urban development. Discussions revisited foundational debates and advanced new conversations about representation, racial justice, and political power.

Inspired by the landmark 2001 volume Asian Americans and Politics, Gordon H. Chang ed. (Stanford University Press), the event built on decades of scholarship while asking urgent questions about Asian American political life in today’s rapidly shifting social and political landscape. By convening historians, legal scholars, political scientists, and Asian American studies experts, the symposium bridged disciplines and highlighted the necessity of Asian American perspectives in national political conversations.

Steve Sano began Day One with a welcome to Stanford and to the conference. The day’s panels featured presentations from Stephanie Chan (Stop AAPI Hate), Dr. Jerry Kang (UCLA School of Law), Dr. Taeku Lee (Harvard University) and Dr. Sunmin Kim (Dartmouth College), Dr. Shelley Lee (Brown University) and Carolyn Lau (Brown University), Dr. Chris Suh (Emory University), and Dr. Thuy Vo Dang (UCLA). Conversations addressed anti-Asian violence, anti-racism activism, and geographies of Asian American power in urban and regional contexts, with presenters examining responses to COVID-era hate crimes, Asian American roles in local governance, and the politics of memory in diasporic communities.

Day Two opened with a keynote by United States Representative Ted Lieu (CA-36), introduced by Jeanne Tsai. Lieu reflected on his upbringing, career, and role as a leading Asian American voice in Congress, and engaged in a lively discussion with Tsai and the audience. Following the keynote, presentations from Dr. Jane Hong (Occidental College), Dr. Rick Baldoz (Brown University), Dr. Sangay Mishra (Drew University), Dr. Calvin Cheung-Miaw (Duke University), Dr. Jane Junn (University of Southern California), and Chaerim Kim (University of Southern California) examined topics including the politics of religion and conservatism, South Asian American representation, and the shifting dynamics of Asian American voters in the Trump era.

The conference concluded with reflections from Gordon Chang, who spoke about the past iteration of this symposium and emphasized the importance of continuing to build spaces for critical scholarship and dialogue on Asian American politics. With over 70 participants each day, including students, faculty, staff, and community members, the symposium was both intellectually rigorous and deeply community-oriented. Attendees praised the program’s relevance and depth while having the opportunity to connect with other attendees as well. Dr. Lee and Dr. Suh are collecting the conference’s papers for publication in an anthology that will reach a wide, public audience.

This symposium stands as a major milestone for our newly established center, just over a year after our launch. We extend our appreciation to Dr. Shelley Lee and Dr. Chris Suh, whose vision and leadership made this gathering possible. We also thank Chali Lee, Eva Baudler, Esther Cho, and Miles Kim who helped with local arrangements and onsite logistics. Finally, we are deeply grateful for the generosity of AARCS donors, with special thanks to Laura Ching and Eric Chen for sponsoring this event. With the support of our community, these conversations will continue to inspire and shape the future of Asian American political life, scholarship, and leadership from local communities to national stages.