The Center of East Asian and Pacific Studies (CEAPS) is pleased to host the 72nd Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs (MCAA) from September 29 to October 1, 2023 at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. A regional conference of the Association of Asian Studies (AAS), MCAA has provided a forum for scholars and teachers of Asian Studies in the Midwest to gather and exchange knowledge about the history and cultures of Asia for well over a half-century. This conference will feature individual paper presentations, as well as panels and roundtables at which faculty members, and graduate and undergraduate students will present and discuss new research and pedagogical tools across the disciplines of Asian studies.