The 52nd Annual Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Region Association for Asian Studies (MAR/AAS) was held at UD on November 2-3, 2025. The conference theme, “Interdisciplinary Asia: Bridges to New Opportunities,” highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in Asian Studies and encouraged scholars from various academic backgrounds to explore the challenges and opportunities within the field.

On Saturday, Bill Einreinhofer, an Emmy Award-winning producer and director, delivered a featured speech titled “Looking for China.” Wendy Bellion, Professor + Sewell C. Biggs Chair in American Art History and the CAS Associate Dean for the Humanities, gave a welcome talk to kick off the Saturday luncheon, followed by a keynote speech by Nancy Peluso, Vice President of the Association for Asian Studies and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

During the Saturday night dinner banquet, Kathleen (Kathy) Uno, a retired professor from Temple University who specializes in modern Japanese history, was honored with the 2024 Distinguished Asianist Award. The conference also included a teaching forum focused on integrating pop culture into K-12 education about Asia. This event aimed to provide educators with tools and methodologies to make Asian Studies more accessible and engaging for younger students.

The conference concluded on Sunday, November 3, 2024, with a Complimentary Brunch and the Annual Presidential Roundtable, featuring a keynote by Yuanchong Wang (History), titled “Time, Religion, and Civilization: Missionary Almanacs in Southern China in the Early Nineteenth Century.”

Around 115 scholars presented on the thirty panels during the weekend, with the program including our own UD faculty Sunmin Yoon, Frank Mondelli and Rachael Hutchinson (all from Languages, Literatures and Cultures). The conference was a remarkable event that fostered scholarly exchange and highlighted the value of interdisciplinary approaches in Asian Studies. Strong support from UD’s Office of the Provost, College of Arts and Sciences, Center for Global and Area Studies, Asian Studies Program, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, as well as efforts of all participants and organizers, ensured the success of the conference and continued the tradition of excellence in the field.