APAC History and Co-Chairs

The Asian Pacific American Caucus: A Brief History
By Andy Aoki*
Prepared for the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Asian Pacific American Caucus
August 2019, Washington, D.C.
*Thanks to Pei-te Lien and Oki Takeda, who made considerable contributions to this. However, any errors should be attributed to my fading memory alone.
Photo Detail: APAC EARLY RECEPTIONS
Top: Andy Aoki, Oki Takeda, Pei-te Lien (Washington,D.C., 2000). Middle: Jane Junn (Boston, 2002); Erin Chung, Janelle Wong, and Karthick Ramakrishnan (Washington, D.C. 2000).
Bottom: Don Nakanishi (Washington, D.C., 2000), James Lai (Philadelphia 2003). A HUGE thank you to Oki Takeda for being our unofficial photographer over the years!
The Asian Pacific American Caucus (APAC) grew out of a larger movement to pry open the American Political Science Association (APSA) to increase space for a more inclusive scholarship. The most important milestone in this movement was the launching of the Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (REP) section in 1995. To me, REP was a breath of fresh air, addressing interests that I rarely found discussed at previous conferences, and I accepted Tony Affigne’s invitation to join its rapidly growing executive committee in 1997. A year later, I teamed with Val Martinez-Ebers to assemble the 1999 REP program for the APSA conference in Atlanta.
As co-chair of the REP program committee I had an opportunity to see more of the exciting new work done on Asian American politics. I also observed how the recently formed Latino Caucus was providing a useful place for scholars of Latino politics to come together. I wondered if the same could be done for scholars of APA politics. As I made the rounds of the REP panels, I asked the mostly young scholars what they thought of an Asian American caucus. Everyone I talked to thought it was a good idea, although I couldn’t help noticing that no one volunteered to organize it.
Pondering this, I made what has probably been the most important decision in APAC’s history, asking an immigrant woman turned assistant professor who held joint appointments in Political Science and Ethnic Studies if she would be willing to help me get this idea off the ground. Fortunately for me (and APAC), Pei-te Lien did not think twice and consented, and we set about meeting APSA requirements for related group status.
Once again, our friends at REP provided tremendous assistance, allowing us to gather the necessary signatures much faster than if we had had to send out countless emails (this was in the infancy of social media, so it was unlikely to be of much assistance at that point). We were able to secure related group status so quickly that we were allocated a panel at the 2000 APSA conference.
That initial conference was a great success, with a packed house for a panel filled with eminent scholars: Bruce Cain, Mari Matsuda, Don Nakanishi, Gary Okihiro, and Frank Wu. The enthusiasm continued at our first business meeting, where we decided we would draw on our members to create a symposium on APA politics, something that had never been published in a political science journal.
Don T. Nakanishi graciously agreed to be a co-editor, and the two of us went about recruiting authors. The symposium, which appeared in PS in fall 2001, generated many requests for copies, reflecting the need for such a work. Our contributors were mostly in the early stages of their career, but they’ve gone on to be some of the foundational figures in the study of Asian American politics—scholars such as Christian Collet, Kim Geron, Claire Jean Kim, Thomas P. Kim, James S. Lai, Taeku Lee, Pei-te Lien, S. Karthick Ramakrishnan, Leland T. Saito, Okiyoshi Takeda, Wendy K. Tam Cho, Paul Y. Watanabe, and Janelle Wong.
The wide range of contributors to that PS symposium reflected our vision for APAC. While the most common scholarly focus has been on voting and public opinion, our panels have included work in theory, urban affairs, comparative politics, and many other subfields. The “P” in our name was part of an effort to welcome research on Pacific Islanders; we wanted to provide a big tent for scholars with many different interests and perspectives.
Similarly, we cast a wide net when recruiting leaders, drawing on new and established scholars as well as prominent leaders of APA community organizations. The list of our co-chairs (below) gives some indication of this, but there were many more who have done important work—as treasurer, secretary, web administrator, job board coordinator—and helped with other key tasks. From early on we established staggered terms for our co-chairs, allowing one to serve as the “junior” co-chair and become familiar with the routines while the senior co-chair (the one in the second year of their term) would take the lead, helping more junior scholars take on professional leadership roles.
Another important early development was the establishment of the APSA Committee on the Status of Asian Pacific Americans in the Profession in 2002. Jane Junn, then senior APAC co-chair, took the lead, drafting the memo that she and James Lai (then junior co-chair) sent to the APSA Council, requesting the status committee. The APSA status committee and APAC have had a close relationship, often co-sponsoring panels and receptions at APSA annual meetings. Since the status committee focuses on those who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander American, while APAC seeks to bring together all interested in the study of APA politics, regardless of self-identification, the groups are somewhat different in their purposes but complementary in serving the professional needs of the broader communities.
APAC has also been active in the Western Political Science Association (WPSA). In 2010, at the invitation of WPSA leaders, APAC members helped to create a WPSA status committee, with the initial preparatory committee, chaired by Pei-te Lien.
The close working relationship with the WPSA and the APA status committee has helped APAC hold spring business meetings at the WPSA conferences). APAC members have served on the WPSA Executive Council, helping facilitate the establishment of the Don T. Nakanishi Fund, honoring one of the pioneers of the study of APA politics, after his untimely death. The fund gives out an award for the best paper on APA politics presented at the annual WPSA meeting, extending a practice that has been in place since the establishment of the status committee in 2012, and it also presents an award recognizing outstanding service, in memory of Don’s long and distinguished service to APA communities.
To further expand space for APA scholarship, APAC has played key roles in organizing WPSA mini-conferences on APA politics. Pei-te Lien led the first of these at the 2013 WPSA annual meeting, and they have now become an annual feature of the WPSA conference.
Twenty years have gone by quickly. On a personal level, members have gotten married; had babies (and grand babies); seen children grow up, start college and go off to grad school; and our student members have received advanced degrees and established careers. We have members who are now tenured who first became connected to APAC when they were still undergrads. APAC has grown, but, as with our personal families, we’re always happy to see additions—so if you’re new and unconnected, please consider joining the growing family!
As we reflect on our history, we need to thank the many supporters who have helped make this possible. Friends in REP, the individual caucuses and other groups related to APSA, the professional association leadership, leaders and other members of community groups, corporate executives, and university leaders have all provided us with resources and other assistance that has allowed us to thrive. Our work has been one piece of a larger collective effort, and we’re grateful to have had such wonderful partners along the way.
Thanks so much for a great twenty years. We look forward to seeing and working with you more in coming decades!
APAC CO-CHAIRS, 2000-2023
2000-2001: Andrew Aoki, Augsburg College & Pei-te Lien, University of Utah
2001-2002: Andrew Aoki, Augsburg College & Jane Junn, Rutgers University
2002-2003: Jane Junn, Rutgers University & James Lai, Santa Clara University
2003-2004: James Lai, Santa Clara University & Daphne Kwok, APAICS
2004-2005: Daphne Kwok, APAICS & Baodung (Paul) Liu, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
2005-2006: Baodung (Paul) Liu, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh & Janelle Wong, University of Southern California
2006-2007: Pei-te Lien, University of Utah & Okiyoshi Takeda, Aoyama Gakuin University
2007-2008: Okiyoshi Takeda, Aoyama Gakuin University & Natalie Masuoka, Tufts University
2008-2009: Natalie Masuoka, Tufts University & Kim Geron, California State University, East Bay
2009-2010: Kim Geron, California State University, East Bay & Caroline Wong, Carleton College
2010-2011: Caroline Wong, Carleton College & Hahrie Hahn, Wellesley College
2011-2012: Hahrie Hahn, Wellesley College & John Ishiyama, University of North Texas
2012-2013: John Ishiyama, University of North Texas & Sahar Shafqat, Saint Mary’s College of Maryland
2013-2014: Sahar Shafqat, Saint Mary’s College of Maryland & Christine Chen, APIAVote
2014-2015: Christine Chen, APIAVote & Sangay Mishra, Drew University
2015-2016: Sangay Mishra, Drew University & Jeannette Yih Harvie, University of California, Santa Barbara
2016-2017: Jeannette Yih Harvie, University of California, Santa Barbara & Charles Lee, Arizona State University
2017-2018: Charles Lee, Arizona State University & Loan Le, Institute for Good Governance and Inclusion
2018-2019: Loan Le, Institute for Good Governance and Inclusion & Okiyoshi Takeda, Aoyama Gakuin University
2019-2020: Okiyoshi Takeda, Aoyama Gakuin University & Ngoc Phan, Hawai'i Pacific University
2020-2021: Okiyoshi Takeda, Aoyama Gakuin University & Ngoc Phan, Hawai'i Pacific University
2021-2022: Ngoc Phan, Hawai'i Pacific University & Dukhong Kim, Florida Atlantic University
2022-2023: Dukhong Kim, Florida Atlantic University & Nicole Filler, University of Massachussetts, Boston
APAC FIRST MEMBERSHIP LIST, SUMMER 2000
Affigne, Tony
Aoki, Andrew
Ba, Alice
Basu, Sammy
Cain, Bruce
Cha, Marn J.
Cha, Victor
Chaibong, Hahm
Chaudhry, Praveen
Chaudhuri, Joy
Chen, KangA
Chen, Lanhee
Chen, Lu-huei
Chen, Paul
Chin, Michelle
Chiu, Daniel
Choi, Gyoung-Gyu
Choi, Mario
Choudary, Maqsood
Chun, Peter
Chung, Erin
Collet, Christian
Conway, M. Margaret
Cyhn, Jin
Deen, Rebecca
Deng, Zixian
Docksai, Ron
Dong, Wonmo
Eom, Kihong
Fan, Xibo
Fung, Archon
Geron, Kim
Gisselquist, Rachel
Goorha, Prateek Gulati, Jeff
Hayao, Kenji
Hirata, Keiko
Hoang, Haco
Hsieh, Nien-hê
Hu, Shaohua
Hung, Richard
Hussain, Imtiaz
Ibata-Arens, Kathryn
Jalali, Rita
Jeong, Keun-soo
Ji, Chang-Ho
Jones, Myoung-Ae
Joo, Seung-Ho
Kim, Claire
Kim, Pan
Kim, Seung-young
Kim, Tom
Kim, Young-Choul
Kunioka, Todd
Kuroda, Yasumasa
Lai, James
Law, Anna
Lee, Taeku
Lee, Wei-Chin
Li, Xiu
Lien, Pei-te
Lin, Ann Chih
Lin, Chenwei
Lin, Tse-min
Linantud, John
Lindaman, Kara
Liu, Baodong (Paul)
Loh, Anthony
Manrique , Cecilia
Martinez-Ebers, Valerie
Mink, Gwendolyn
Mohapatra , Kailash
Montojo, Kenneth
Moon, Woojin
Nakanishi, Don
Oba, Calvin
Park, Hun Joo (David)
Park, Kyung-Ae
Park, Tong
Quarnstrom, Glenda
Ramakrishnan, Karthick
Rini, Domonic
Schmidt, Ron
Singh, Daljit
Stratton, Masami
Szeto, Winston
Takeda, Okiyoshi
Tam Cho, Wendy
Tien, Charles
Tripathi, Ragini
Underhill-Cady, Joseph
Wan, Ming
Wang, Chin-shou
Wang, Vincent Wei-cheng
Wong, Cara
Wong, Carolyn
Wong, Janelle
Wu, Chung-li
Yi, Joseph
Yoon, David
By Andy Aoki*
Prepared for the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Asian Pacific American Caucus
August 2019, Washington, D.C.
*Thanks to Pei-te Lien and Oki Takeda, who made considerable contributions to this. However, any errors should be attributed to my fading memory alone.
Photo Detail: APAC EARLY RECEPTIONS
Top: Andy Aoki, Oki Takeda, Pei-te Lien (Washington,D.C., 2000). Middle: Jane Junn (Boston, 2002); Erin Chung, Janelle Wong, and Karthick Ramakrishnan (Washington, D.C. 2000).
Bottom: Don Nakanishi (Washington, D.C., 2000), James Lai (Philadelphia 2003). A HUGE thank you to Oki Takeda for being our unofficial photographer over the years!
The Asian Pacific American Caucus (APAC) grew out of a larger movement to pry open the American Political Science Association (APSA) to increase space for a more inclusive scholarship. The most important milestone in this movement was the launching of the Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (REP) section in 1995. To me, REP was a breath of fresh air, addressing interests that I rarely found discussed at previous conferences, and I accepted Tony Affigne’s invitation to join its rapidly growing executive committee in 1997. A year later, I teamed with Val Martinez-Ebers to assemble the 1999 REP program for the APSA conference in Atlanta.
As co-chair of the REP program committee I had an opportunity to see more of the exciting new work done on Asian American politics. I also observed how the recently formed Latino Caucus was providing a useful place for scholars of Latino politics to come together. I wondered if the same could be done for scholars of APA politics. As I made the rounds of the REP panels, I asked the mostly young scholars what they thought of an Asian American caucus. Everyone I talked to thought it was a good idea, although I couldn’t help noticing that no one volunteered to organize it.
Pondering this, I made what has probably been the most important decision in APAC’s history, asking an immigrant woman turned assistant professor who held joint appointments in Political Science and Ethnic Studies if she would be willing to help me get this idea off the ground. Fortunately for me (and APAC), Pei-te Lien did not think twice and consented, and we set about meeting APSA requirements for related group status.
Once again, our friends at REP provided tremendous assistance, allowing us to gather the necessary signatures much faster than if we had had to send out countless emails (this was in the infancy of social media, so it was unlikely to be of much assistance at that point). We were able to secure related group status so quickly that we were allocated a panel at the 2000 APSA conference.
That initial conference was a great success, with a packed house for a panel filled with eminent scholars: Bruce Cain, Mari Matsuda, Don Nakanishi, Gary Okihiro, and Frank Wu. The enthusiasm continued at our first business meeting, where we decided we would draw on our members to create a symposium on APA politics, something that had never been published in a political science journal.
Don T. Nakanishi graciously agreed to be a co-editor, and the two of us went about recruiting authors. The symposium, which appeared in PS in fall 2001, generated many requests for copies, reflecting the need for such a work. Our contributors were mostly in the early stages of their career, but they’ve gone on to be some of the foundational figures in the study of Asian American politics—scholars such as Christian Collet, Kim Geron, Claire Jean Kim, Thomas P. Kim, James S. Lai, Taeku Lee, Pei-te Lien, S. Karthick Ramakrishnan, Leland T. Saito, Okiyoshi Takeda, Wendy K. Tam Cho, Paul Y. Watanabe, and Janelle Wong.
The wide range of contributors to that PS symposium reflected our vision for APAC. While the most common scholarly focus has been on voting and public opinion, our panels have included work in theory, urban affairs, comparative politics, and many other subfields. The “P” in our name was part of an effort to welcome research on Pacific Islanders; we wanted to provide a big tent for scholars with many different interests and perspectives.
Similarly, we cast a wide net when recruiting leaders, drawing on new and established scholars as well as prominent leaders of APA community organizations. The list of our co-chairs (below) gives some indication of this, but there were many more who have done important work—as treasurer, secretary, web administrator, job board coordinator—and helped with other key tasks. From early on we established staggered terms for our co-chairs, allowing one to serve as the “junior” co-chair and become familiar with the routines while the senior co-chair (the one in the second year of their term) would take the lead, helping more junior scholars take on professional leadership roles.
Another important early development was the establishment of the APSA Committee on the Status of Asian Pacific Americans in the Profession in 2002. Jane Junn, then senior APAC co-chair, took the lead, drafting the memo that she and James Lai (then junior co-chair) sent to the APSA Council, requesting the status committee. The APSA status committee and APAC have had a close relationship, often co-sponsoring panels and receptions at APSA annual meetings. Since the status committee focuses on those who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander American, while APAC seeks to bring together all interested in the study of APA politics, regardless of self-identification, the groups are somewhat different in their purposes but complementary in serving the professional needs of the broader communities.
APAC has also been active in the Western Political Science Association (WPSA). In 2010, at the invitation of WPSA leaders, APAC members helped to create a WPSA status committee, with the initial preparatory committee, chaired by Pei-te Lien.
The close working relationship with the WPSA and the APA status committee has helped APAC hold spring business meetings at the WPSA conferences). APAC members have served on the WPSA Executive Council, helping facilitate the establishment of the Don T. Nakanishi Fund, honoring one of the pioneers of the study of APA politics, after his untimely death. The fund gives out an award for the best paper on APA politics presented at the annual WPSA meeting, extending a practice that has been in place since the establishment of the status committee in 2012, and it also presents an award recognizing outstanding service, in memory of Don’s long and distinguished service to APA communities.
To further expand space for APA scholarship, APAC has played key roles in organizing WPSA mini-conferences on APA politics. Pei-te Lien led the first of these at the 2013 WPSA annual meeting, and they have now become an annual feature of the WPSA conference.
Twenty years have gone by quickly. On a personal level, members have gotten married; had babies (and grand babies); seen children grow up, start college and go off to grad school; and our student members have received advanced degrees and established careers. We have members who are now tenured who first became connected to APAC when they were still undergrads. APAC has grown, but, as with our personal families, we’re always happy to see additions—so if you’re new and unconnected, please consider joining the growing family!
As we reflect on our history, we need to thank the many supporters who have helped make this possible. Friends in REP, the individual caucuses and other groups related to APSA, the professional association leadership, leaders and other members of community groups, corporate executives, and university leaders have all provided us with resources and other assistance that has allowed us to thrive. Our work has been one piece of a larger collective effort, and we’re grateful to have had such wonderful partners along the way.
Thanks so much for a great twenty years. We look forward to seeing and working with you more in coming decades!
APAC CO-CHAIRS, 2000-2023
2000-2001: Andrew Aoki, Augsburg College & Pei-te Lien, University of Utah
2001-2002: Andrew Aoki, Augsburg College & Jane Junn, Rutgers University
2002-2003: Jane Junn, Rutgers University & James Lai, Santa Clara University
2003-2004: James Lai, Santa Clara University & Daphne Kwok, APAICS
2004-2005: Daphne Kwok, APAICS & Baodung (Paul) Liu, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
2005-2006: Baodung (Paul) Liu, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh & Janelle Wong, University of Southern California
2006-2007: Pei-te Lien, University of Utah & Okiyoshi Takeda, Aoyama Gakuin University
2007-2008: Okiyoshi Takeda, Aoyama Gakuin University & Natalie Masuoka, Tufts University
2008-2009: Natalie Masuoka, Tufts University & Kim Geron, California State University, East Bay
2009-2010: Kim Geron, California State University, East Bay & Caroline Wong, Carleton College
2010-2011: Caroline Wong, Carleton College & Hahrie Hahn, Wellesley College
2011-2012: Hahrie Hahn, Wellesley College & John Ishiyama, University of North Texas
2012-2013: John Ishiyama, University of North Texas & Sahar Shafqat, Saint Mary’s College of Maryland
2013-2014: Sahar Shafqat, Saint Mary’s College of Maryland & Christine Chen, APIAVote
2014-2015: Christine Chen, APIAVote & Sangay Mishra, Drew University
2015-2016: Sangay Mishra, Drew University & Jeannette Yih Harvie, University of California, Santa Barbara
2016-2017: Jeannette Yih Harvie, University of California, Santa Barbara & Charles Lee, Arizona State University
2017-2018: Charles Lee, Arizona State University & Loan Le, Institute for Good Governance and Inclusion
2018-2019: Loan Le, Institute for Good Governance and Inclusion & Okiyoshi Takeda, Aoyama Gakuin University
2019-2020: Okiyoshi Takeda, Aoyama Gakuin University & Ngoc Phan, Hawai'i Pacific University
2020-2021: Okiyoshi Takeda, Aoyama Gakuin University & Ngoc Phan, Hawai'i Pacific University
2021-2022: Ngoc Phan, Hawai'i Pacific University & Dukhong Kim, Florida Atlantic University
2022-2023: Dukhong Kim, Florida Atlantic University & Nicole Filler, University of Massachussetts, Boston
APAC FIRST MEMBERSHIP LIST, SUMMER 2000
Affigne, Tony
Aoki, Andrew
Ba, Alice
Basu, Sammy
Cain, Bruce
Cha, Marn J.
Cha, Victor
Chaibong, Hahm
Chaudhry, Praveen
Chaudhuri, Joy
Chen, KangA
Chen, Lanhee
Chen, Lu-huei
Chen, Paul
Chin, Michelle
Chiu, Daniel
Choi, Gyoung-Gyu
Choi, Mario
Choudary, Maqsood
Chun, Peter
Chung, Erin
Collet, Christian
Conway, M. Margaret
Cyhn, Jin
Deen, Rebecca
Deng, Zixian
Docksai, Ron
Dong, Wonmo
Eom, Kihong
Fan, Xibo
Fung, Archon
Geron, Kim
Gisselquist, Rachel
Goorha, Prateek Gulati, Jeff
Hayao, Kenji
Hirata, Keiko
Hoang, Haco
Hsieh, Nien-hê
Hu, Shaohua
Hung, Richard
Hussain, Imtiaz
Ibata-Arens, Kathryn
Jalali, Rita
Jeong, Keun-soo
Ji, Chang-Ho
Jones, Myoung-Ae
Joo, Seung-Ho
Kim, Claire
Kim, Pan
Kim, Seung-young
Kim, Tom
Kim, Young-Choul
Kunioka, Todd
Kuroda, Yasumasa
Lai, James
Law, Anna
Lee, Taeku
Lee, Wei-Chin
Li, Xiu
Lien, Pei-te
Lin, Ann Chih
Lin, Chenwei
Lin, Tse-min
Linantud, John
Lindaman, Kara
Liu, Baodong (Paul)
Loh, Anthony
Manrique , Cecilia
Martinez-Ebers, Valerie
Mink, Gwendolyn
Mohapatra , Kailash
Montojo, Kenneth
Moon, Woojin
Nakanishi, Don
Oba, Calvin
Park, Hun Joo (David)
Park, Kyung-Ae
Park, Tong
Quarnstrom, Glenda
Ramakrishnan, Karthick
Rini, Domonic
Schmidt, Ron
Singh, Daljit
Stratton, Masami
Szeto, Winston
Takeda, Okiyoshi
Tam Cho, Wendy
Tien, Charles
Tripathi, Ragini
Underhill-Cady, Joseph
Wan, Ming
Wang, Chin-shou
Wang, Vincent Wei-cheng
Wong, Cara
Wong, Carolyn
Wong, Janelle
Wu, Chung-li
Yi, Joseph
Yoon, David