Co-hosted by Nunthinee Tanner, in conjunction with the Columbia Alumni Association Bangkok, “Bridging Communities and Building Legacies” conference and luncheon will profile Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute and address the state of Southeast Asian Studies in the current higher education landscape.
BANGKOK, Thursday, February 20, 2025 — The Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, a distinguished hub for the study of modern East, Inner, and Southeast Asia, will present a day of programming at 140 Wireless showcasing its commitment to the academic discipline of Southeast Asian Studies. Its partners in the series of talks and discussions are Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University and the National University of Singapore.
The one-day conference is a feat of logistics and collaborative planning made possible by the contributions of Nunthinee Tanner, Managing Director of LBG Limited and co-founder of the Thai Polo and Equestrian Club, and Chatchai Piyasombatkul, President of the Columbia Alumni Association of Bangkok.
Lien-Hang T. Nguyen, Director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, will deliver a keynote address, “Thailand’s Role in Columbia’s Global Footprint,” introducing the Institute, and highlighting the importance of Southeast Asian Studies and the Masters in Regional Studies East Asia degree program (MARSEA) to Weatherhead’s mission.
Following Nguyen’s remarks, the first of two panel discussions will bring together James Cheng, Director of the C. V. Starr East Asian Library at Columbia University; Weatherhead East Asian Institute Associate Director of External Affairs Sarah Jessup; Lee Cheng Ean, Advisor & Head of Global Relations, National University of Singapore Libraries; Natalie Pang, University Librarian of the National University of Singapore Libraries; and Neungreudee Lohapon, Director of the Digital Archive of Modernized Siam Project, Chulalongkorn University for a conversation on the necessity of establishing heritage collections and the challenges they entail.
In a second panel discussion, James Cheng will join Weatherhead Artist-in-Residence and Columbia School of the Arts Adjunct Lecturer Tony Bui to engage historian and writer Daryl Yeap for a multifaceted look at the life of a book, from research to publication to the big screen. Yeap’s book, As Equals: The Oei Women of Java, tells the story of modernity at the turn of the 20th century through the lives of three remarkable women—Lucy Ho, Ida Oei, and Oei Hui Lan—wife and daughters of Java’s first Sugar King, Oei Tiong Ham. Born between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they were super-rich, highly educated, fiercely independent, and ultra-modern individuals who redefined conventional ideas of womanhood. The book explores how and why they became such trailblazers, the environment in which they were raised, the challenges they faced, and the ways they carved out space in the public sphere.
After closing remarks by Chatchai Piyasombatkul, the conference will break for a luncheon intended to foster networking opportunities and follow-up discussions. Speakers and special guests will be available for press interviews and a photo session.
The Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University is an integrated center for research and teaching that brings together faculty, research scholars, and students from across Columbia, and advances knowledge and understanding of the region through academics, research programs, renowned publications series, and a robust calendar of public events. Visit https://weai.columbia.edu/ for more information, and please email [email protected] with specific questions.
