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Center for Southeast Asian Studies > About the UH Mānoa Center for Southeast Asian Studies > About the UH-Mānoa Center for Southeast Asian Studies

About the UH-Mānoa Center for Southeast Asian Studies

Founded in 1978, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies is one of the country’s largest centers devoted to the Southeast Asia region: more than 40 faculty across 21 university departments pursue active research in/on Southeast Asia. CSEAS is a National Resource Center (NRC) for the study of Southeast Asia in the United States as awarded by the US Department of Education. 

Our primary mission is to encourage trans-disciplinary understandings of the eleven countries in the region: its peoples, religions, history, economics, geography, art, cultures, science, and politics. Developing and supporting UH Mānoa’s capacities in Southeast Asian studies by UHM faculty, staff, and students define the core of our work.

Objectives

With the objective of promoting educational and cultural awareness of Southeast Asia, its diverse peoples, religions, history, economics, geography, art, cultures, science, and politics, UHM CSEAS seeks to:

  • Provide student funding for the study of Southeast Asian languages and cultures through the Foreign Language Area Fellowships program and other center-based sources of funding.
  • Support the offering of Southeast Asian languages including Ilocano, Indonesian, Khmer, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.
  • Build partnerships with local K-12 schools, community colleges, military education centers, and non-profit organizations interested in developing curriculum materials and hosting outreach projects focused on Southeast Asia.
  • Facilitate efforts by UH Mānoa to establish viable academic and education partnerships with colleges and universities in Southeast Asia.
  • Organize and sponsor lecture series, colloquia, film series, seminars, museum exhibits, and major research forums and conferences.
  • Link UH-Mānoa faculty, staff and students with interests in Southeast Asia through scholarly and social events
  • Continue to build UH-Mānoa’s Southeast Asia library collection, including digital and moving image resources.
  • Maintain and enhance our university’s national and international reputation as an outstanding resource in Southeast Asian studies.