HWS News
6 May 2026 • Alums Expanding the Scope of Asian Studies
HWS faculty present research and lead discussions at ASIANetwork’s annual gathering.
At the 2026 ASIANetwork Annual Conference at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, three Hobart and William Smith professors contributed to national conversations on how to broaden and enrich Asian Studies in higher education. The conference examined how Asia has been imagined both as a dynamic center of innovation and influence and as a space marginalized within global systems of power and knowledge.
- Associate Professor of Anthropology Christopher Annear presented research conducted last summer in the paper, “Strangers in a Foreign Land? Understanding Chinese-Zambian Relationships and Power through Investment, Media, and Migrancy.” Krissia Hercules '27, anthropology and international relations double major, worked with Annear on the project.
- Professor of International Relations Vikash Yadav presented on a panel exploring the impacts of popular culture and political communication in degenerating democracies.
- Professor of History Lisa Yoshikawa led a panel discussing strategies for liberal arts teachers and researchers to enhance their intellectual lives and deepen their pedagogies.
ASIANetwork, which brings together professors and students from across North America, has showcased hundreds of peer-reviewed papers, organized sessions, invited panels, workshops, keynote speakers and films since 1993. Its overarching mission is to broaden perspectives and strengthen the study of Asia. Hobart and William Smith has long been members of ASIANetwork and hosted the conference in 2022.
