Student groups

The Contemporary Asian Studies Student Union (CASSU) is the undergraduate course union for the Contemporary Asian Studies program at the University of Toronto. CASSU strives to strengthen students’ understanding of contemporary Asia from a global perspective and promote interest in the region and involvement in the Asian Institute community. Each year, CASSU organizes social, cultural, academic and professional events for current and prospective CAS students, as well as the wider U of T student community.

With the regions of Asia and the Pacific as a backdrop, Re:Locations seeks to foster dialogue among scholars who engage with ideas such as territoriality, mobility, and identity within and across borders. The journal,  founded by a group of graduate students with the support of the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia-Pacific Studies, aims to promote interdisciplinary debates in international relations, art and culture, geography, political science, and a wide range of related fields. The goal of this journal is to promote scholarship that challenges the boundaries of disciplines, area studies, scholarly formats, theory, methodologies, geographies, and scales. We invite critical engagement with ideas that shape social, spatial, cultural and political dialogues.

The graduate symposium in contemporary South Asian Studies at the University of Toronto was conceived of as a platform for students engaging in critical research connected to South Asia. Presenters in the conference draw our attention to a range of lenses to observe and imagine possibilities within history, religion, politics and technology. Students, faculty, professionals, and practitioners of South Asian Studies from across geographies are invited to engage with and learn about emerging research in the field. View the April 2021 Symposium website. Read about the April 2022 Symposium.

Synergy: The Journal of Contemporary Asian Studies is an undergraduate academic journal with a regional focus on East, Southeast, and South Asia founded at the Asian Institute. Synergy is envisioned as a platform for the celebration of Asia, focusing on both its collectivist historical past and current geopolitical cooperation within the region. The goal of the journal is to stimulate and generate vibrant academic discussions on the current political, societal, and/or economic developments in the region. The journal regularly publishes academic submissions including academic articles, book reviews, and original photography, editorial content such as op-eds, current event reports, and academic event coverage of on-campus University of Toronto events. Synergy also organizes academic and professional events that focus on Asia’s rising prominence and economic growth in recent decades. Synergy publishes online content throughout the year and selectively compiles articles into a print publication at the end of each academic year.

The Taiwan Gazette translates and publishes original reporting from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. Our goal with the platform is simple: We want original reporting from the Sinosphere to have a wider impact on global civil society. 

The Asian Institute Graduate Student Association (AIGSA) in the process of developing the foundations of a new organization and is seeking four executive member positions (operations, treasurer, professional development, marketing). Graduate students of Asian descent or research focuses in Asian studies are encouraged to join. The association seeks foster a community for Asian and Asian studies students at the graduate level from any discipline. Interested students should email choiamy.choi@mail.utoronto.ca.

We encourage University of Toronto graduate students researching Asia and Asian worlds – whether or not you are currently active at the Asian Institute or new to it – to sign up to the Asian Institute Graduate Student Network. We will use this list to keep you informed about events, awards, opportunities, and invite you to take part in our vibrant graduate student community.