East Asia Center 50th Anniversary
Join the East Asia Center as we celebrate 50 years of East Asian Studies at the University of Virginia, April 17-19.
Our flagship conference features UVA graduates who are experts in their fields, including a special lunch with remarks by former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink.
Weekend event schedule
Friday, April 17, 2026 (RSVP requested) 50th Anniversary Reception
5:00 – 7:00 p.m., Colonnade Club (Pavilion VII) Solarium and Gardens
Saturday, April 18, 2026 (RSVP requested) East Asian Studies at 50 Alumni Conference
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. "Pacific Asia Beyond the American Century" Social Sciences Panel, Colonnade Club (Pavilion VII) Solarium
12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch Address with Daniel Kritenbrink in conversation with Rick Carew
2:00 – 3:30 p.m. "Buddhist Studies and Asian Humanities" Panel, Colonnade Club (Pavilion VII) Solarium
Sunday, April 19, 2026 (RSVP REQUIRED) Community Gathering at Morven Farms
12:00 – 3:00 p.m. Lunch at Morven Farms (600 Morven Dr.)
"Pacific Asia Beyond the American Century" Social Sciences Panel
Brantly Womack (chair) is Professor Emeritus of Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on Chinese politics, asymmetry in international relations, and East Asian regional dynamics.
Len Schoppa (discussant) is Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia. His research centers on Japanese politics, political institutions, and comparative political economy.
Alumni Panelists:
Alice Ba is Emma Smith Morris Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware. Her research examines East Asian regionalism, international institutions, and U.S.–Asia relations, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia and ASEAN. She received her PhD from UVA in 2000.
H. Steven Green is Associate Professor of International Relations and Japanese Politics in the Faculty of Law at Toyo University in Japan, as well as Deputy Director of Toyo University's Center for Global Education and Exchange, and Director of the Toyo University Sumo Team. His research interests include Japan’s defense policies and the role of the modern Japanese bureaucracy.
Inhan Kim received his PhD from UVA in 2002 and is now Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science & International Relations at Ewha Womans University. His research focuses on U.S. foreign policy and security issues over the Korean Peninsula and East Asia.
Guan-Yi Leu is Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the University of Mary Washington. Her research. Her research explores East Asian political economy and industrial policy, with a regional focus on Taiwan. She completed her doctorate at UVA in 2012.
Ka Zeng received her PhD from UVA in 2000 and is now Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research investigates Chinese trade policy and behavior in global economic governance.
Lunch Address:
Daniel Kritenbrink is former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He also previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam and has held senior positions for the Department of State and National Security Council focused on U.S.-China and Indo-Pacific policy. Ambassador Kritenbrink is currently a Partner at The Asia Group.
"Buddhist Studies and Asian Humanities" Panel
Natasha Heller (chair) is a cultural historian of Chinese Buddhism with research interests spanning the premodern period (primarily 10th through 14th c.) and the contemporary era. She is currently working on two new books: a cultural and religious history of Alishan, Taiwan, and a history of trees in Chinese Buddhism.
Alumni Panelists:
Jessica Starling received her PhD from UVA in 2012 and is now Department Chair and Professor of Religious Studies at Lewis & Clark College. Her research examines lived Buddhism in contemporary Japan, particularly within the Jōdo Shinshū, with special attention to themes such as gender, family, ethics, emotion and illness.
Gareth Fisher is Department Chair and Associate Professor of Religion at Syracuse University. His research looks at the revival of Buddhism in contemporary mainland China, as well as the cultural politics surrounding the restoration of Buddhist temples in the post-Mao period. He received his PhD from UVA in 2006.
Elena Pakhoutova is Senior Curator of Himalayan Art at the Rubin Museum of Art. Her background in Tibetan Buddhist studies informs her interdisciplinary interests, including Buddhist art and ritual, art production and patronage, material culture, narrative in Tibetan visual culture, and contemporary Himalayan art. She completed her PhD at UVA in 2009.
Yi-hsun Huang is Professor for the Center for Chan Buddhism at Shanghai University. She received her PhD from UVA in 2001 and specializes in Chan and Pure Land Buddhism.
