Center for East Asian Studies at UW-Madison

09/10/2026

📅 Tuesday, Sept 15 | 12pm (noon)
📍 UW Law School's Lubar Commons (Room 7200), 975 Bascom Mall

🎤 A panel discussion on the ten-year anniversary of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system

Panelists: Law Professor John Ohnesorge, U.S. Naval War College Professor Emeritus Terence Roehrig, and Korean Studies Professor Heangjin Park, with Center for East Asian Studies Associate Director David Fields serving as moderator.

Panelists will discuss:
WHY the U.S. felt deployment of this missile system was necessary,
HOW the Chinese responded,
HOW the incident changed Korean and Chinese perceptions of each other,
WHAT this controversy tells us about the current state of Northeast Asia,
and much more!

In July 2016 the United States and the Republic of Korea announced that after months of consultation they would be deploying a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system on the Korean peninsula. In a joint statement they explained this deployment was “in response to the evolving threat posed by North Korea,” which included recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

Despite being ostensibly aimed at North Korea, the THAAD deployment was followed by strong coercive measures against the ROK by China, which in turn resulted in a popular backlash against China in South Korea. Ten years later, the repercussions of the THAAD controversy continue to shape South Korean opinions about China (and Japan), Chinese perceptions of American intentions, and the security of Northeast Asia in profound ways.

08/08/2026

International summer travel had the happy coincidence of bringing two UW-Madison IRIS assistant directors together in July in Birmingham, England's 2nd largest city. Here's Essie Lenchner of the IRIS NRC @ UW-Madison and Laurie Dennis of CEAS visiting Birmingham's Ozzy the Bull (in the main train station) and the public murals at the Custard Factory complex. Happy summer travels to everyone and see you soon back on campus!

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08/06/2026

Congrats to Viroqua Library for its successful Taiwanese Night Market event! We love that colorful dragon! And doesn't that bubble tea look delicious! Viroqua's McIntosh Memorial Library was a 2026 recipient of an "East Asia in the Upper Midwest Library Program" award, funded by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.

06/16/2026

“I think there’s a recognition that in the world today, conversation and collaboration between scholars in China and the United States is not only very important — it might be of the utmost importance,” says CEAS faculty member Adam Nelson, the John L. Thomas (WARF) Professor and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Educational Policy Studies and History at UW–Madison.

Read the full story:

Amid global challenges, decade-long UW–Madison–Peking University workshop advances international dialogue on higher education June 11, 2026 For more than a decade, scholars from UW–Madison, Peking University, and beyond have come together to examine some of the most urgent challenges facing hi...

06/05/2026

Day 2 of the 8th Annual University of Wisconsin-Madison- Peking University Workshop on Higher Education.
This year's two-day workshop was organized by professors Adam Nelson (UW-Madison) and Shen Weiqin (Peking University).
Day 2 featured papers by:
- HUANG Futao, Hiroshima University
- ZHENG Lei (virtual), Peking University
- Jingjing Lou, Beloit College
- XIE Ailei and LI Tianshu, South China Normal University (Guangzhou, China)

The workshop venue alternates between UW-Madison and Peking University so we look forward to 2027 in Beijing!

For more information, see:
https://eastasia.wisc.edu/uw-pku/

06/03/2026

Day 1 of the 8th Annual University of Wisconsin-Madison - Peking University Workshop on Higher Education was held in Madison, Wisc., and brought together faculty from China, Japan, Canada, and the U.S. to share research on the theme of "Academic Internationalism in Turbulent Times."

Day 1 featured papers by:
- Adam Nelson, UW-Madison
- Wang Liping and Zhang Zhengtao, Peking University
- Shen Wenqin, Peking University
- Zha Qiang, York University (Toronto)

See more details at:
https://eastasia.wisc.edu/uw-pku/

05/18/2026

CEAS is excited to welcome attendees for the
"8th Annual UW-PKU Workshop on Higher Education:
Academic Internationalism in Turbulent Times"
DATE: May 18-19, 2026

This workshop is organized by Adam Nelson, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Educational Policy Studies and History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Shen Wenqin, Associate Professor of Higher Education at the Graduate School of Education, Peking University.
Besides UW-Madison, scholars from the following universities will be participating:
Beijing Normal University
Beloit College
Hangzhou Normal University
Hiroshima University
Peking University
South China Normal University (Guangzhou)
St. Xavier University (Chicago)
Tsinghua University
York University (Toronto)
Zhejiang University

05/11/2026

CEAS affiliate Heangjin Park, Assistant Professor of Korean Studies in UW–Madison’s Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, was recently featured in UW–Madison International Division’s story, “Kimchi: Layers of Culture, Wrapped in Cabbage.”

The story highlights Park’s research on kimchi production among Korean diaspora communities in China, exploring how food moves across borders as both a commodity and a cultural object. His work shows how kimchi connects questions of economy, identity, authenticity, and belonging across Korea, China, and global markets.

🔗 Read the full story here:

Kimchi is more than food. Widely recognized as Korea’s national dish, the fermented staple—made of cabbage, radish, garlic, ginger, and chili—appears on tables across the country. Though it is frequently associated with Korean cuisine, the …

05/07/2026

We’re excited to share a new Atlantic Council article co-authored by East Asian Studies Certificate student Tony Jing! The article explores the rapid rise of Chinese electric vehicle exports and the complex economic, energy, and security questions they raise for countries around the world.

Tony is a senior at UW–Madison and serves as the Undergraduate Student Assistant for the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) National Resource Center.

Read the article here:

China is exporting a large number of electric vehicles around the world, but their internet connectivity creates cyber vulnerabilities.

05/04/2026

Congrats to the 19 libraries across Wisconsin that received awards in April through the 2026 “East Asia in the Upper Midwest Library Program” competition. Nearly $21,000 in funding will be distributed to grant recipients representing 11 of the state’s 15 library systems. This is the sixth year of the competition, which offers grants to public libraries with the goal of enriching patrons’ understanding of East Asia through the funding of new programming and materials.

This year’s grants will also help the Wisconsin Book Festival in Madison include a speaker about a book connected to East Asia, as part of the festival’s 25th anniversary activities in 2026. This continues a long partnership between CEAS and WBF.

Though the first round of grants have now been awarded, some funding is still available. Click on this link for more information: https://eastasia.wisc.edu/eainwisconsin/

(Map prepared by Christina Dennis, Doctoral Student, UW-Madison Department of Geography.)