The Institute for Citizens & Scholars recognized Assistant Professor of History Chris Suh as one of the 10 2023 Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders on May 17. Suh is the first person in Emory University’s history to receive this award, which includes a $17,500 stipend over 12 months.
Suh, who is currently researching how Asians and Asian Americans have shaped the United States from the 1940s to 1960s, plans to use the stipend to further his teaching and research by hiring undergraduate researchers, according to an Emory News Center press release.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, whose mission is to elevate the arts and humanities in democratic societies, funds the award and aims to support junior faculty working toward tenure. These faculty study contemporary American history, politics, culture and society and are dedicated to mentorship as well as fostering inclusion on campus. In total, 76 faculty have received this recognition across seven cohorts. Over 80% of faculty eligible for tenure who receive the award eventually earn tenure.
Emory College of Arts and Sciences Senior Associate Dean of Faculty nominated Suh for the award.
Suh was named a Mellon Emerging Faculty Leader shortly after his new book “The Allure of Empire” was published in March. His book explores how the ideas of race and imperialism in the Pacific changed before World War II and their implications on American and East Asian politics.
Suh’s interest in Asian American experiences and race-related policies is rooted in his personal experiences, according to the press release. Suh’s mother enrolled in a Catholic college in the United States so Suh could complete high school while his father returned to South Korea. This sparked Suh’s interest in the political policies that allowed his mother to stay in the United States.
Earning a Ph.D. from Stanford University (Calif.) in 2019, Suh joined the Emory community four years ago after the history department recognized that they needed greater inclusivity in subject matter like Asian American history, Jimmy Carter Professor of American History Joseph Crespino said. Crespino, who also chairs the history department, said Suh’s deep “expertise” in Asian American history made him a top candidate.
“There was unanimity across the faculty that [Suh] was our first-choice candidate,” Crespino said. “He’s done everything that we had hoped for and more. He’s done more than we could ever have expected both in the classroom, as a researcher and as a mentor to so many students across the University.”
Crespino noted that Suh, being multilingual, can better understand the perspectives of Korean-speaking and Japanese-speaking Americans in addition to those who speak English.
“He brings this kind of multifocal perspective to the study of history that is vital to scholarship, that makes it so unique and original and important,” Crespino said.
Students “flock” to Suh’s classes and “seek him out” for academic, professional and personal mentorship to “understand their own personal and family histories,” Crespino added.
“[Suh] is a jewel in Emory’s crown,” Crespino said.
Yaza Sarieh (18Ox, 20C) met Suh while taking his class during his first semester teaching at Emory in fall 2020. Sarieh said she was drawn to Suh’s “teaching style” after taking “Transpacific Lives” (HIST 488RW), where she learned to conduct “hands-on primary research.” Suh mentored Sarieh during office hours and helped her craft an “above and beyond” research paper.
Suh continued to be a mentor to Sarieh as she applied for various opportunities after graduation, assisting with mock interviews and personal statements. Sarieh said that with Suh’s support, she said she was named a Luce Scholar in 2021.
Sarieh said she “can’t sing his praises enough.” She now works for Georgia Organics, a nonprofit in Atlanta that supports farmers. She hopes to go to graduate school in the future.
“A lesson I really learned from him is that even if there’s setbacks, to just keep going,” Sarieh said. “Feel the fear and do it anyway.”
Annie Li (22C) also met Suh during his first year at Emory when she took “Historical Analysis: Asian American History” (HIST 285).
“[Suh] has influenced me by being the first person to ever teach Asian American history to me,” Li said. “There is something special about learning history that is so important and close to you, especially if you didn’t get that kind of exposure as a younger person.”
Suh continued to mentor Li throughout college, supporting her both with her honors thesis and as her mentor in Emory’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program.
According to Li, Suh was “one of the first people who identified all these separate interests in [her] and then spoke them out loud in a way” that made sense. Additionally, he provided valuable feedback and “conversations about what it’s like being in academia.”
Li is currently pursuing a two-year masters of philosophy degree in theology at the University of Oxford in England. Her research is focused on history.
“I’m very proud of him for winning this amazing award,” Li said. “I hope that people will continue to recognize him for the work that he’s done and the impact that he’s had on campus.”
Assistant Professor of History Chris Suh declined an interview with The Emory Wheel.
