History of CEAS

The formal history of East Asian studies at the University of Chicago dates back to 1936, with the establishment of a Chinese studies program in the Department of Oriental Languages and Literatures. The 1950s were a period of major growth and innovation in East Asian studies at the University. In 1951, acknowledging the wide-ranging relevance of East Asia, the University established an interdisciplinary Committee on Far Eastern Studies. This program was then reorganized in 1959 as the Center for Far Eastern Studies with the support of funds from the Ford Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education and other sources. Today it is known as the Center for East Asian Studies.  You can read more about the history of East Asian studies at the University of Chicago (with a focus on Chinese studies) in this article by former CEAS Associate Director, Theodore Foss.