Welcome to the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS)

With over 50 Core and Affiliate faculty from a dozen departments across UT, the Center represents the extraordinary depth and breadth of faculty expertise in the study of East Asia. Created in 2004, the center is housed in the Department of Asian Studies, and features scholars drawn from across campus who focus on East Asia in their research and teaching.

CEAS scholars work in the fields of anthropology, art and art history, education, film, geography, history, government, journalism and media, language pedagogy, literature, political science, religious studies, and sociology. They research and teach on a wide variety of subjects, including classical and modern literature, consumerism, cultural history, demography, digital humanities, economic history, film, foreign policy, gender, globalization, instructional technology, language pedagogy, poetry, politics, popular culture, public policy, religion and ritual, social movements, and transnational migration. We have a dedicated East Asian Studies librarian and over 15 language instructors teaching Chinese, Korean, and Japanese in our thriving undergraduate program.

The primary mission of the Center is to promote research and teaching related to East Asian cultures and societies, to enrich the learning experiences of undergraduate and graduate students interested in the region, and to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration on East Asia throughout the University of Texas at Austin campus. As the flagship institution for the state, we also strive to serve as a resource for the broader community.

The Center links together our community of East Asianists by organizing and sponsoring talks, supporting faculty and student research/teaching with fellowships, and  seeking collaborative opportunities across campus as well as new grant opportunities that help us expand and create innovative programs.  

If you are interested in joining our Core/Affiliate faculty or to sign up for our listservs, see here.

For more information about the Center for East Asian Studies, please contact Dr. Kirsten Cather, Center Director, at kcather@austin.utexas.edu.