Each year, the Committee on Asian History and SAHSA jointly host a luncheon at the AHA, traditionally on the Friday of the conference at 12:30 p.m. Each year, a speaker offers a state of the field lecture over lunch, alternating between East Asian and South Asian historians. Registration for the luncheon occurs at the AHA website in conjunction with conference registration online or in person at the door.
| 2019 | Chicago, IL | Vinayak Chaturvedi, “The Future of History in the Age of Archival Crisis: Reflections from South Asia” |
| 2018 | Washington, DC | Rebecca Karl, “The Magic of Concepts: Thinking History and China in the World” |
| 2017 | Denver, CO | Indrani Chatterjee, “Networks before Nations” |
| 2016 | Atlanta, GA | Douglas Howland, “International Law and Globalization in 19th Century Asia” |
| 2015 | New York, NY | Dilip Menon, “Writing Indian History after Subaltern Studies” |