In response to student interest combined with the University’s commitment to global excellence, the Asian/Pacific/American (A/P/A) Institute at NYU was established in 1996 by Founding Director Jack Tchen (who led the Institute through 2018). A/P/A provides a space in which research and public programs with a focus on community and intercultural studies are made accessible to faculty, students, and the New York community within a broad, rigorous international, and comparative framework.
The A/P/A Institute has produced programming, publications, exhibitions, new research, and a long-running artist-in-residence program, attracting leading academics and practitioners. The multiple archival collection initiatives, spearheaded by the A/P/A Institute, have also continued to build a foundation of, and preservation and access to, important historical documents and previously overlooked materials for present and future researchers and students.
Currently located in NoHo, the A/P/A Institute continues to serve the community with public programs based on research, cultural production, and scholarship on contemporary issues facing Asian/Pacific/American communities and discourse. The Institute provides a nexus for scholars, community leaders, and artists who are working on advancing scholarship in the field and bringing theory into practice. Through public programs, publications, and other resources, the A/P/A Institute establishes forums for dialogue and interaction between socio-cultural influencers and producers, the academy, and the public.
The records of the Asian/Pacific/American Institute, dated 1994-2020, document the activities of the Institute and reflect student events, faculty affairs, and collaboration with the A/P/A Studies program (up until 2005 when A/P/A Studies became part of the Department of Social & Cultural Analysis). The collection contains photographs, memoranda, correspondence, student surveys, meeting and conference agendas, syllabi, proposals, posters, flyers, and brochures. It also includes audio cassettes, VHS tapes, mini DVs, and archived websites.
To learn more about the contents of the A/P/A Institute Records located at the NYU University Archives, view the collection’s finding aid.