Since its establishment in 1949 as one of the first institutes in the United States dedicated to the advanced training of East Asian specialists, the Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI) has been at the forefront of research and teaching about the region. For 75 years, the Institute has pushed the boundaries of East Asian regional studies, branching out from its early focus on China and Japan to encompass work on Korea, Inner Asia, and—most recently—Southeast Asia. Expanding on its foundation in the social sciences, the Institute is a dynamic hub for interdisciplinary and multinational scholarship and is actively engaged across the academy supporting research and programming in the humanities, professional schools, and social sciences. Founded as the East Asian Institute, the Institute was renamed in 2003 in recognition of the generosity of the Weatherhead Foundation.
Initiatives
75th Anniversary Celebration
The Weatherhead East Asian Institute kicked off its 75th anniversary year of programming with a Gala Dinner on February 1, 2024 in Columbia University’s Low Library. The event featured introductions from WEAI Director Lien-Hang T. Nguyen and Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, keynote remarks from US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and former Secretary of State John Kerry, and honored renowned artist Cai Guo-Qiang; former governor of the Bank of Japan Haruhiko Kuroda; acclaimed author Min Jin Lee; Chairman and Honorary CEO of Kikkoman Yuzaburo Mogi (honored in absentia); Chairman and CEO of East West Bank Dominic Ng; and Nobel laureate and journalist Maria Ressa. Watch the event here.
WEAI: An Oral History
A showcase of interviews highlighting the evolution of East Asian studies and the Institute, and the influence the Institute had in shaping the lives and careers of Myron Cohen, Gerald Curtis, Carol Gluck, Eugenia Lean, Xiaobo Lü, James Morley, Andrew Nathan, and Madeleine Zelin. The project will be publicly unveiled on the WEAI website in fall 2024.
Asia in Action
The Asia in Action initiative began in 2019 under the direction of Eugenia Lean as part of the Institute’s 70th anniversary. For the 75th anniversary, under the leadership of Lien-Hang Nguyen, we are excited to bring back the in-residence series, hosting an external professional each academic year to lead themed programming based on their expertise. For the 2023-24 academic year, we welcomed Vietnamese-American director Tony Bui as Filmmaker-in-Residence. In the fall of 2023, WEAI and the Columbia School of the Arts co-hosted a panel discussion and screening of Bui’s Sundance Award-winning film Three Seasons (1999).
Global Asia Film Series
Beginning during Tony Bui’s tenure as Asia in Action Filmmaker-in-Residence, the Institute will host a film series, featuring screenings and discussions on some of the most significant films from the region. One large event with an important Asian filmmaker, in discussion with Tony Bui, will be held in the spring. Film screenings as proposed by faculty members and student groups will take place throughout the rest of the spring and fall semesters. More information forthcoming.
WEAI Policy Series
Launched by the keynote session of the 2024 Gala, the WEAI policy series will host speakers from across the region exploring Asia’s role in addressing pressing global challenges of our time.