About A.T. Steele

In 1994, the Center received an endowment from the estate of Archibald Trojan Steele, an author and correspondent who reported from Asia for more than 30 years. A graduate of Stanford University, A.T. Steele was a strong advocate of the ASU Center for Asian Research. The author of "The American People and China," Mr. Steele served from 1932-1950 as China correspondent for United Press International, The New York Times and The Chicago Daily News, among other press outlets. He also wrote "Shanghai and Manchuria, 1932: Recollections of a War Correspondent," which was published by the Center in 1977 as part of its monograph series. As was noted by Stephen MacKinnon, Center director from 1988-1995 and professor of history at ASU, "A.T. Steele was a pioneer in recognizing the importance of studying Asia. In many ways, he was instrumental in increasing popular knowledge in that part of the world. His contribution and foresight are a significant legacy, so it is fitting to have an endowment in his name."

A.T. Steele Collection

In 1975, A.T. Steele gave the Center his personal collection of papers and mementos, a collection that includes clippings, cablegrams, and priceless personal notes covering a critical period of Chinese history. This collection is now housed in ASU's Hayden Library. Dr. Yung-Hwan Jo, Center director from 1971-1980, noted that this collection and the Agnes Smedley Collection "have made ASU an excellent source of research for China Specialists."

A.T. Steele Travel Grants and Lecture Series

Since 1996, the Center has supported ASU Asian studies faculty research by awarding A.T. Steele Faculty Travel Grants, which fund travel to Asia for the study of Asian cultures, societies, economies, and politics. Competition for these grants is held in the fall semester of each year. Upon a grant recipient's return to ASU, he or she is expected to make a presentation to the ASU Asian studies community about the results of the trip.

2006 Awardees

James Eder, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, "Migrants to the Coasts: Ethnicity, Community and Natural Resource Management in the Phillipines"
Ian Miller, Department of History, "The Nature of the Beast: Empire and the Environment at the Tokyo Imperial Zoo"
Juliane Schober, Department of Religious Studies, "Visions of Moral Authority: Formations of Modern Buddhism in Burma, 1825 to the present"
Ning Wang, School of Global Studies, "Doing Business in China: Making Deals in the Double Shadow of Law and Trust"

2005 Awardees

Mark Woodward, Department of Religious Studies, "A Tale of Two Cities: Yogyakarta and Surakarta in the 21st century"

2004 Awardees

Hyaeweol Choi, Department of Languages and Literatures, "Re-Orienting Gender: Public and Private Discourse pm Modern Womanhood in the Korea Mission Field"
Janet Baker, Adjunct Faculty, Center for Asian Research, "Vaisravana and the Lokapalas: Guardian Figures in the Art of Turfan, Dunghuang and Longmen."
Pori Park, Department of Religious Studies, "Contemporary Modernization Issues of Korean Buddhism"
James Rush, Department of History, "Hamka's Indonesia"
Wei Li, Asian Pacific American Studies, "Globalization and localization: Taiwanese banks and Ethnic Chinese financial structure"
Stephen R. MacKinnon, Department of History, "India Council of World Affairs and Institute of Pacific Relations, 1943-1960"
Thuy-Kim Le, Department of Languages and Literatures

2003 Awardees

David Damrel, Department of Religious Studies, "Mystical Pilgrimage and Conversion in Modern Islam"
James Eder, Department of Anthropology, "Coastal Resource Use in the Philippines: Follow-up Research"
Hjorleifur Jonsson, Department of Anthropology, "Nationalizing the Southeast Asian Hinterlands"
Zhiyong Lan, School of Public Affairs, "Local Government Reform in the People's Republic of China"
Ted Solis, School of Music, "Personal Retooling in Gamelan Competency"
Hoyt Tillman, Department of History, "Cultural Diversity in Traditional China and its Implications for China's Modernization"

2002 Awardees

James Benn, Department of Religious Studies, "Inscriptions and Sculpture in Sichuan Depicting the Acts of Liu Benrun"
Hyaeweol Choi, Department of Languages and Literatures, "Tensions between Gender and Racial Identity in the Korea Mission Field"
Julie Codell, School of Art, "Visuality, Imperial Culture, and National Identities in Delhi: Coronation Durbars and their Exhibitions of Indian Art, 1877-1911"
Anne Feldhaus, Department of Religious Studies, "Umaji Naik and the Failure of Sisterly Love"
Michael Kuby, Department of Geography, "The Economics, Geography, and Politics of Coal Washing in China"
Thuy-Kim Le, Department of Languages and Literatures, "Colloquial Vietnamese for Intermediate and Advanced Learners"
Ted Solis, School of Music, "Personal Retooling to Develop an ASU Javanese Gamelan Program"
Peter Suwarno, Department of Languages and Literatures, "Modern Javanese Through Self-Instruction"
Nora Taylor, Department of Humanities and School of Art, "The Globalization of Vietnamese Art"
Hoyt Tillman, Department of History, "Traveling Cultural Interactions in the 11th through 13th Centuries"

2001 Awardees

2000 Awardees

1999 Awardees

Applicants are asked to note the following:

1. Only members of the regular faculty at ASU may apply; visiting faculty and faculty on terminal contracts are not eligible.
2. While all of the Center's regular affiliated faculty are encouraged to apply, the selection committee has in the past given preference to junior faculty, including lecturers, or to applicants who had not previously received similar support from any source.
3. Travel to carry out a research project will receive priority, even though travel to attend academic meetings will also be considered.
4. Upon a grant recipient's return to ASU, he or she will be expected to make a presentation to all Center faculty on the results of the travel.