Stanford Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Events and exhibits on campus in May help recognize the contributions of Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at Stanford.

Stanford Taiko will present an original concert at Bing Hall on May 6 with special guest San Jose Taiko, presented here for the 2023 Intake Weekend Performance. (Image credit: Los Cicero)

“Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is our opportunity to honor the history and contributions of these diverse communities,” said Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne. “This month, I encourage everyone in our University community to participate in planned events and exhibits and to be inspired by the stories and accomplishments of Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who live, work and study at Stanford.”

Stanford University’s Asian American Activism Center, also known as A³C, organizes a series of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month events. Many other groups on campus are holding AAPI-related events.

lectures and talks

May 2

Handmade Hearts: Indigenous Engineers in Early Modern Korea

Join scholar Hyeok Hweon Kang to trace how North Korean craftsmen developed adept systems for the design and production of multimedia materials.

U.S.-China Rivalry and Japan’s Position

Professor Ryosei Kokubun, FSI’s Spring 2023 Penn Distinguished Fellow, will examine Japan’s role in the ongoing US-China strategic competition and its potential implications for security in the Asia-Pacific region.

Hepatitis B in Asian Americans – What you can do to reduce your risk

Samuel So, MD, will discuss hepatitis B, how it’s transmitted, prevention, screening, and treatment.

Panel on Latest Trends of Korean Entrepreneurs

The program is part of the eight-week “Entrepreneurship in Asia’s High-Tech Industry” series, which runs every week until May 30, 2023.

May 4

A Conversation on Island Cultural and Environmental Leadership

Join longtime Aboriginal Futures collaborators Peter Vitousek and Kamana Beamer for a conversation on the intersection of Aboriginal leadership, island culture and the environment.

May 9

Tech Startups and Venture Capital: How Transpacific Partnerships Work IRL

Leaders of Philippine Kickstart Ventures join several of their U.S.-funded companies to discuss patterns of international relations between Asia and the U.S.

May 11

Auntologies: Queer Aesthetics and South Asian Auntologies

This talk explores how auntie aesthetic practices open up queer possibilities, rather than exclude them.

Another Great Game: The Opening of North Korea and the Birth of Modern East Asia

The speech will shed light on South Korea’s role in “another” Great Game in East Asia for control of the Korean peninsula.

May 15

geofetish Twenty Poems of He Dunhuang: Trajectories and Trajectories

Charles Sanft will introduce twenty poems and consider them in light of what WH Auden said geofetishplace of love.

Accidental Sanctuary: A Book Biography

This presentation is based on a recently published book on the revolution in northern Shaanxi, which is the product of 30 years of research and numerous field visits to the region.

May 17

American Studies Book Lecture: Chris Suh The Allure of Empire: American-Asian Encounters in an Era of Transpacific Expansion and Exclusion

Imperial Charm Tracing how American ideas about race in the Pacific were formed and reshaped in the imperial arena before World War II.

Hedonistic Philosophy in Early China: Understanding Yang Zhu from Ancient and Medieval Texts

A historian of early Chinese knowledge and culture will outline how the word “hedonism” aptly describes the doctrine of ancient China.

May 25

Tools of the Trade: Changing the Way the U.S. and China Trade Arrangements

Stanford’s China Project hosts a conversation on trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region.

Bishop Marvin Harada: “The Past, Present and Future of the American Buddhist Church”

This discussion will focus on the challenges of reversing membership decline and aging.

Art

Cantor Arts Center administrator Catherine Coueignoux prepares to display a mask face of ruth asawaCantor is exhibiting the work of the Japanese-American artist. (Image credit: Andrew Brodhead)

Stanford Taiko and special guest San Jose Taiko: impulse It’s May 6th.

Xie Xiaoze: Flammable Ideas, Fragile Objects

This exhibition of Professor Xie Xiaoze’s works will be on display at the East Asia Library until the end of spring.

Xiao Yu: Funeral

This video installation by Korean-American artist A young Yu will be on display at Cantor through May 7.

face of ruth asawa Cantor’s long-term installation.

Artist Jean Shin in conversation with art historian Marci Kwon

The Anderson Collection’s Burt and Deedee McMurtry Lecture will be held on May 10th.

Provide community and shared cultural opportunities for students

A special dinner menu at all Residential & Dining Enterprises restaurants on May 11 will celebrate regional Asian cuisine. Through a month-long partnership between R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality & Auxiliaries, the School of Medicine’s CARE Team and the NOURISH Project, Tasting Tables will feature dishes from China, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, India and Korea every Wednesday: May AFDC 10th, Wilbur 17th May, Lakeside 24th May, FloMo 31st May. R&DE will provide details on these and related festivities shortly.

Throughout the year, students can find community through A³C, which brings together Asian and Asian American students, faculty, staff, and alumni to promote understanding and awareness of the Asian American experience. More than 30 student organizations hold weekly meetings and rehearsals at A³C, and use the office as a workspace for event planning.

In addition, the university’s Native American Cultural Center provides resources for Pacific Islander students and groups. Opportunities include Hui o Nā Moku, a student organization dedicated to celebrating and sharing Polynesian culture; Kaorihiva, the university’s Polynesian dance company; and the Mariana Islands Club, a group of undergraduate and graduate students dedicated to continuing Mariana Islands culture.