Asian and Asian American community at Stanford University: Introduction

After using this guide, Stanford Libraries users will be able to identify and access primary and secondary sources about the history of the Asian and Asian American community at Stanford University.

Asian and Asian American community at Stanford University

Primarily, this guide includes information about resources available in the Stanford Special Collections and University Archives to support research into the history of Asian and Asian American students and community at Stanford University. Some additional resources related to Asian American history and culture in the Bay Area are included, but only represent a small percentage of he extensive resources available at Stanford Libraries for research about Asian American topics and history more broadly. The Hoover Institution Library & Archives also has many related collections, some of which can be found in the Archival records and FAQ sections.

Despite being a historically white institution, Stanford has a rich Asian and Asian American history that goes back to the beginnings of the university. Japanese and Chinese student associations were established as early as the 1910s, but students of Asian ancestry faced anti-Asian sentiment in the United States,culminating in the events of WWII and the relocation and internment of persons of Japanese ancestry, including Stanford students. It wasn't until the second-half of the 20th century when additional community support occurred through the actions of Asian American students and other students of color at Stanford. More specifically, student activism such as the Rainbow Agenda and the Students of Color Coalition's "Takeover of the President's Office" in 1989 caused a significant increase in student and faculty diversity at Stanford, as well as additional support for staff and other Asian American community members. Please visit the FAQ section for additional historical information.

Note that while the materials shared here are intended to be representative of Library collections, this guide is not meant to be exhaustive; additional materials may be discovered and accessed via Searchworks, the Online Archive of California (OAC), and Spotlight exhibits. For access to physical materials, please refer to guidelines for accessing materials through Special Collections & University Archives on the Stanford Libraries website.

Guide created by Jessica Cebra.