Diversity & Inclusion

Asian Studies Program Core Principles of Diversity and Inclusion

The Walsh School of Foreign Service was established in the wake of World War I to prepare “future leaders to make the world safer, more equitable, more prosperous, and more peaceful.” Building on this mission, the Asian Studies Program was founded in 1980 with the objectives of educating future specialists of Asia and supporting rigorous scholarship of Asian societies and cultures. As a field, Asian studies has itself had to reckon with and evolve past its colonial origins in which Asia’s diversity was systematically overlooked and its people denied their humanity. Given the vast diversity of the peoples of Asia, we affirm that the core mission of the SFS to address problems of security, equality, and prosperity can only be fulfilled by recognizing the common humanity among people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Therefore, the Asian Studies Program hereby affirms a commitment to diversity, equality, and justice in its institutional structures, research, and pedagogy. 

In order to uphold this principle, the Asian Studies Program is committed to ensuring not only diverse representation across various forms of identity, but also fostering an environment that is truly inclusive of all groups and elevating a diverse chorus of voices through our curriculum. We, therefore, also commit to adopting policies within the Asian Studies Program as well as through our engagement beyond Georgetown that proactively address the systemic barriers that exclude marginalized groups from our program, school, and the broader field of Asian studies. Through the above actions, the Asian Studies Program pledges to carry out its commitment toward fostering a student body, faculty, and staff that reflects, uplifts, and celebrates the diversity of humanity in race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual identity, religion, and class.

*Statement jointly crafted by Asian Studies Program faculty and students