Presidential Address—The Association for Asian Studies: Nonpolitical but not Unconcerned

Extract

This has been an important year for the Association for Asian Studies. With a membership of over 4700 we have become by far the largest organization for foreign area studies in the U.S.—and probably in the world. This growth in size has brought with it new problems of organization and new responsibilities for leadership in our profession. So as not to lose touch with our membership, we have undergone a major reorganization with the adoption of our new Constitution. This provides for four area councils, through which leadership would be shared with a much larger number of elected officers, and greater individual initiative would be allowed in the development of studies in each area.