Association for Asian Studies records, 1947-1988

Summary

Creator:

Association for Asian Studies.

Abstract:

Minutes, correspondence files, memoranda, financial material, and other miscellanea relating to the work of the organization.

Extent:

48.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Call Number:

8541 Bp 2

Authors:

Finding aid created by Michigan Historical Collections staff

Background

Scope and Content:

The records of the Association for Asian Studies have been arranged into three series: Foundational documents; Secretariat and other administrative offices; and Regional Councils. Although the records have been received over a period of years, this finding aid attempts to bring together like materials. Even so, the researcher is encouraged to examine the container listing thoroughly for similar materials received at different times.

Biographical / Historical:

The origins of the Association for Asian Studies began with the publication of the Bulletin of Far Eastern Bibliography in 1936. The Bulletin was expanded in a more comprehensive journal in 1941 and renamed The Far Eastern Quarterly. This publication was supported by a small committee of scholars who had organized themselves as the Far Eastern Association.

Because of continued financial difficulties, a special meeting was held in 1948 and the committee, along with some invited guests, discussed the possibility of reorganizing the Association as an active membership organization. The first meeting of the reorganized Association was held in New York City on April 2, 1948. Arthur W. Hummell of the Library of Congress was elected the Association's first president.

The objectives of the Association were:

1. To form a scholarly, nonpolitical, and nonprofit professional association of all persons interested in the study of the Far East.
2. To promote interest in and scholarly study of the Far East.
3. To provide means for the publication of scholarly research and other materials designed to promote Far Eastern studies.
4. To promote cooperative activities and exchange of information within the filed of Far Eastern studies in the United States and Canada.
5. To facilitate contact and exchange of information between scholars and scholarly organizations interested in Far Eastern Studies in North America and in other countries.

In December 1949 the board of directors decided to seek new sources of revenue to expand the organization's scope. The board prioritized the purposes of these funds as:

1. The publication of research.
2. The maintenance of a permanent secretariat.
3. The support of scholarships and fellowships.
4. The support of summer institutes on Far Eastern studies for non-specialist teachers.

Initial funding was achieved by raising membership dues, however the Research Committee on Development of Far Eastern Studies was created for the purpose of exploring foundation support for these activities. By the end of 1955 the Committee's work led to substantial funding for the Association through the Ford Foundation. Ford Foundation's support was generous; subsidizing the expansion of the society's journal, the establishment of a monograph series, the publication of a newsletter, the maintenance of a secretariat, and the work of various Association committees. By 1960 outside funding had made possible an increased level of activity and stability within the Association.

In 1956 the Far Eastern Association was renamed the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), the Far Eastern Quarterly was re-titled the Journal of Asian Studies, and the constitution and bylaws were amended to incorporate south Asia into the sphere of the Association's interest and activity. To reflect this latter change the Association's board of directors was expanded from nine to twelve members, with three seats on the board reserved for south Asian specialists.

Membership growth and the expanded geographic interest of the Association led to the formation of areas study committees in the mid-1950's. The first to be well established was the Committee on South Asia, which in 1956 received a large grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, enabling it to sponsor a number of organizational meetings of South Asian specialists. Broad umbrella committees such as the Committee on South Asia were further subdivided by the development of even more specialized committees, such as the Ceylon Studies Committee, the Bengal Studies Committee, the Gandhi Centennial Committee, and the Ghalib Centenary Committee, all of which sponsored their own conferences, lectures and publications. The pattern established by the South Asian Committee was replicated in other parts of the Association. In 1962, for example, the Committee on Southeast Asia was established. It quickly developed subcommittees such as the Burma Study Group, the Language Resources Committee, and the Indonesia Studies Committee. By 1969-1970 two other broad groups, representing scholarly interest in Northeast Asia and China and Inner Asia had been formed. They, and their predecessors in the fields of Southeast Asia and South Asia, were formally recognized in 1969/70 by the designation "Regional Councils".

The link between the AAS and the University of Michigan is rooted in the strong bonds of service that grew between UM faculty members interested in Asian Studies and the Association. Beginning in 1952 a succession of UM faculty served in the AAS secretariat. In 1955 the Association's board of director's voted to establish a permanent Secretariat and locate it in Ann Arbor.

Acquisition Information:

The records were received from the Association (donor no. 5965 ) in multiple accession beginning in 1976.

Arrangement:

Summary Contents List

1. Foundational documents
   • Founding Papers and History, 1947-1948 (box 1)
2. Secretariat and other administrative offices
   • 1948-1970
     • Board of Directors, 1948-1970 (boxes 1-3)
     • Executive Committee, 1949-1970 (box 3)
     • President, 1948-1971 (box 3)
     • Secretary, 1948-1966 (box 3-4)
     • Secretary-Treasurer, 1968-1971 (box 4)
     • Administrative Secretary, 1968-1970 (box 4)
     • Treasurer, 1948-1970 (box 4)
     • Editors, 1950-1971 (boxes 4-5)
     • Committees (boxes 5-11)
     • Grants (box 11)
     • Miscellaneous (boxes 11-13)
     • Language and Area Studies Review (boxes 13-14)
     • Far East Association Meetings, 1949-1968 (boxes 14-15)
     • Regional Meetings and Conferences (box 15)
     • International Congress of Orientalists (box 16)
     • Lectures (box 17)
   • 1949-1985 (primarily 1970-1979; not all headings listed)
     • Administrative Officer Correspondence, 1971-1980 (boxes 18-19)
     • Annual Meetings, 1949-1974 (boxes 20-22)
     • Board of Directors, 1961-1979 (boxes 22-23)
       • Presidents (box 22)
       • Secretary-Treasurer (boxes 22-23)
       • Board Minutes (box 23)
     • Committees, 1960-1981 (boxes 24-28)
       • ABC East, 1967-1974 (box 24)
       • Executive, 1960-1978 (boxes 24-25)
       • Information Control, 1969-1971 (box 25)
       • Publications, 1961-1983 (boxes 25-28)
         • Bibliography of Asian Studies, 1969-1983 (boxes 25-26)
         • Journal of Asian Studies, 1970-1980 (boxes 26-27)
         • Monographs, 1971-1978 (boxes 27-28)
     • International Congress of Orientalists, 1967 (box 29)
     • Newsletters, primarily 1971-1985, (box 29-30)
   • 1951-1983: General Subjects and Grants
     • General Subjects (box 42)
     • Grants (boxes 43-45)
   • 1952-1989: General Subjects and Grants
     • General Subjects (boxes 47-48)
     • Grants (boxes 48-49)
3. Regional Councils
   • China and Inner Asia Regional Council
     • Topical Files
       • 1961-1980 (box 31)
       • 1971-1980 (box 45-47)
   • Northeast Asia Regional Council, 1970-1980 (box 32)
     • Topical Files, 1970-1980 (box 32)
     • Studies Groups and Area Committees, 1970-1975 (box 32)
     • Grants Received (box 49)
   • South Asia Regional Council, 1955-1978 (boxes 32-36)
     • Topical Files, 1968-1979 (boxes 32-35)
     • Studies Groups and Committees, 1969-1977 (boxes 35-36)
       • Afghanistan Committee, 1973-1976 (box 35)
       • Bangladesh Committee, 1972-1976 (box 35)
       • Institutional Liaison Committee, 1969-1977 (box 35)
       • Language and Literature Development Committee, 1969-1977 (box 35)
       • Nepal Committee, 1972-1978 (box 35)
       • Pakistan Committee, 1970-1976 (boxes 35-36)
       • Sri Lanka Committee, 1972-1976 (box 36)
     • Regional Council Affiliates, 1968-1980 (box 36)
     • Miscellaneous (box 47)
   • Southeast Asia Regional Council, 1968-1982 (boxes 36-41)
     • Topical Files, 1968-1981 (boxes 36-39)
     • Studies Groups and Committees, 1969-1982 (boxes 39-41)

Accruals:

No further additions to the records are expected.

Physical Location:

Portions located in offsite storage; prior notification required for access.

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Asianists -- Michigan.

Formats:

Photographs.

Names:

Association for Asian Studies.

Places:

Asia.