Mission

The mission of the Center for the Study of Asia (BUCSA) is to promote comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and cross-national understanding of Asia at Boston University. Operationally, it provides a focal point and institutional support for the study of Asia across Boston University through coordination of teaching missions, support of research, community-building among faculty and students, and outreach beyond the university.

Message from the Director

It is my great privilege and honor to lead the Boston University Center for the Study of Asia as we work to create a nationally-recognized center of research and learning. Since we began operations in July 2008, we have been working hard to arrange an exciting series of events, make plans for curriculum development and outreach, and cooperate with the university administration to promote the study of Asia.

Boston University is blessed with an extraordinary group of scholars who research and teach about all regions and aspects of Asia. Many of our faculty members are internationally renowned leaders in their fields. And while we are justifiably proud of such luminaries as Ha Jin (winner of the National Book Award for fiction), Robert Hefner (former President of the Association for Asian Studies), and Husain Haqqani (currently on leave to serve as Pakistani Ambassador to the United States), many others have been the recipients of prestigious prizes and research fellowships. Moreover, our faculty members are enthusiastic teachers who offer an unusually comprehensive set of courses.

BUCSA’s vision is to fully integrate the study of Asia into the intellectual life of the university. It goes almost without saying these days that the future of Asia will fundamentally shape the future of people around the globe. So it is essential for all citizens of the world to learn also about Asia’s past and present.

But the justification for the study of Asia goes beyond practical concerns. In nearly every scholarly discipline, from the arts to the humanities to the social sciences to business to public health and to geography, we are increasingly aware of the importance of comprehending the vast set of experiences, ideas, and challenges that Asia presents to existing knowledge and understanding.

Most of all, we think that Asia is a truly exciting region of the world. Nowhere do more people, ethnic groups, languages, religions, and philosophies coexist in such close proximity, interacting and regenerating in such a dynamic way. We believe that the vastness and diversity of the region should not be a reason to narrow our geographical, disciplinary, or temporal boundaries; rather, they are an invitation to multidisciplinary, comparative, and trans-boundary research and learning.

There is of course much room for specialization, and BU scholars have indeed contributed to pushing forward specialized knowledge on specific areas, peoples, and literatures. Many of our courses and events also address the need for specialized learning in order to gain deeper knowledge and understanding. But in the midst of such scholarship, BUCSA also seeks to support openness of minds and inquiry.

I invite you to learn more about BUCSA and about the study of Asia at Boston University. We hope you will take advantage of our classes and events, as well as this website, to join this vibrant community.

Sincerely,

Joseph Fewsmith