Events Overview

The Weatherhead East Asian Institute marked its 70th anniversary in 2019. The Institute celebrated this milestone with initiatives and programs throughout the year that reflected on  the Institute’s founding, celebrated the achievements of the past seven decades, and explored new directions in the study of East and Southeast Asia.

Established in 2005, the Annual Lecture on Japanese Politics,  chaired by Professor Gerald L. Curtis, brings top research scholars, government officials, and representatives from non-government organizations to Columbia University to speak on critical policy issues related to Japan. 

The Weatherhead East Asian Institute hosted a series of events throughout the summer in Beijing in celebration of the Institute’s 70th anniversary. Featuring talks by WEAI faculty members from a wide variety of disciplines, the series of five events was cosponsored by the Columbia Global Center in Beijing.

The Weatherhead Institute hosted a series of lectures organized by the Modern Tibetan Studies Program at Columbia University on "China, Inner Asia, and the World: Mongol and Qing Empires in Comparative Perspectives."

Each year, the Weatherhead East Asian Institute hosts a number of event series, which address themes and issues related to Asia over the course of several events.

The N.T Wang Distinguished Lecture, presented annually since 2010 by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute in collaboration with the Jerome A. Chazen Institute for Global Business, has provided internationally renowned experts on the Chinese economy an opportunity to share their work with the Columbia community.

The Southeast Asia Annual Lecture was established in 2018, in response to Southeast Asia’s growing role on the world stage. The series provides a platform for speakers to address a wide range of issues affecting the region, from politics to contemporary culture and the arts.

The Weatherhead East Asian Institute organizes and sponsors special lectures and programs each year featuring prominent government officials, research scholars and representatives from non-government organizations.

The Weatherhead Institute cohosts an annual series of lectures with the Columbia China Center for Social Policy and the School of Social Work at Columbia University