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A Word From Our Executive Director
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Having recently returned from a visit to Inalco in France, it is amazing to see how Taiwanese languages and culture are of such interest to students from all around the world! Indeed, there seems to be a trend of strong demand from students. Whether it is numbers of students studying Taiwan Cinema at SOAS, strong interest in studying Taiyu, Hakka and Indigenous languages at Inalco, significant participation in the University of Wahshington's Taiwan Studies Arts and Cultural Program, or Osaka University's ongoing stream of Taiwan-focussed events, students from different parts of the world are interested and want to learn about all aspects of Taiwan.
On that note, we're especially looking forward to the Fifth World Congress of Taiwan Studies that we are jointly hosting with Academia Sinica (May 21-23), as well as the AI and Taiwan Studies Forum (May 24) that follows it. We welcome all of you to come to join us in Taipei in May and experience the vibrancy of Taiwan Studies in person! |
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Executive Director - Nikky Lin
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It seems like the whole world of Taiwan Studies will be in a bit of whirlwind from May onward this year. Kicking off with the 5th World Congress of Taiwan Studies right here in Taipei in May, NATSA, EATS, SOAS, Tubingen, UCLA, University of Washington and Inalco will all host Taiwan Studies conferences between May and July. It should certainly be an inspiring summer, and it is exciting to think of all the new research, collaborations, and publications that may emerge from the connections that are made at these conferences.
In light of this, if you have exciting new research that you'd like to share, please get in touch and we'd love to interview you about it for our monthly podcast!
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Prof. James Lin and Ellen Chang Introduce the University of Washington
Taiwan Studies Program
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While there are many fantastic Taiwan Studies research centers, programs, and initiatives all around the world, being able to provide graduate degree-level qualifications that have a focus on Taiwan is a huge challenge. As the University of Washington inaugurates their new MA East Asia Studies with a special Taiwan track, becoming the first University in North America to offer this, we spoke to Prof. James Lin and Ellen Chang to understand more about UW's Taiwan Studies Program and how they have built to the point of being able to offer this new degree path.
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Associate Professor James Lin, Department of History, Associate Chair of the Taiwan Studies Program, University of Washington |
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Ellen Chang, Director of the Taiwan Studies Arts and Culture Program, University of Washington |
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1. When did the University of Washington’s Taiwan Studies Program begin and what was the original vision?
James Lin:
The program was formally established in January 2018, but it began even earlier as a "Taiwan Studies Initiative" started by my UW colleagues, Bill Lavely (who later became the Taiwan Studies Program chair), Madeleine Dong, and David Bachman. The three of them recognized that UW has had a historic strength in Taiwan studies, from scholars (now all retired) such as Steve Harrell (anthropology), Gary Hamilton (sociology), and Jeff Hou (landscape architecture). They applied for funding from the Taiwan government and also received a substantial donation from a private donor, which then established the program and allowed for the university to hire me.
2. Have you found interest in Taiwan has grown among your student population over the past few years/decade?
James Lin:
Yes, especially in the past 5 years or so. I find many of my undergraduate students are interested in Taiwan's international relations and as a potential flashpoint for geopolitical conflict. And in the past couple years, a new interest in Taiwan's economy, especially in semiconductors. There have also been students interested in Taiwan's culture, gender rights movement, and Indigenous peoples.
3. You are launching a Taiwan track as part of the East Asia MA, a really significant achievement which makes UW the first University in North America to offer a Taiwan-focused graduate degree program. Can you describe how you managed to get to this point? What were some of the key steps towards this goal?
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Taiwan Literature Transformed: INALCO Symposium Explores Translation, Adaptation, and Interpretation
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The recent symposium "A New Representation of Taiwanese Literature: Translating, Transforming, Interpreting" (臺灣文學新體現：轉譯、轉藝、轉繹 ), held in Paris from March 31 to April 1, brought together such noted international scholars as Professor Liu Chanyueh (劉展岳), Professor Nikky Lin (林巾力), Professor Su Shuo-bin (蘇碩斌), Professor Luca Pisano, Professor Antonio Paoliello Palermo, Associate Professor Li Bi-chhin (呂美親), and Associate Professor Mireia Vargas-Urpi. There, they discussed the "transformation” of Taiwan literature, and how it has brought about manifestations in visual media, music, performing arts, video games, and even cosmetics.
The symposium was co-organized by the Taiwan Studies program at France's Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, INALCO) and the International Taiwan Studies Center at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). The goal of this international and cross-disciplinary gathering was to encourage development of new theories centered on three forms of transformation—literary translation (轉譯), artistic adaptation (轉藝), and interpretation (轉譯)—especially those involving cross-cultural components. |
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NTNU Sinophone and Taiwan Studies Book Series Open for Submissions
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The “Sinophone and Taiwan Studies,” centered on Taiwan Studies-related humanities and social science research, is open for new book submissions. Edited by Professor Shih Shu-mei (史書美) of UCLA and Professor Nikky Lin (林巾力) of NTNU, this book series aims to break Sinophone and Taiwan Studies out of old limiting frameworks and methodologies.
In a previous newsletter, we introduced
Imagining Modern Poetry: Poetic Modernisms in Taiwan by Nikky Lin. The series currently features six other books, focused on topics including but not limited to the complex relationship between locality and globality, the interrelations among various categories of identity (national, cultural, ethnic, racial, gender, linguistic, religious, and sexual), the states of multiculturalism versus creolization, the politics and economics of culture, diasporic and anti-diasporic practices and expressions, various forms and processes of colonialism (settler colonialism, formal colonialism, postcolonialism, neo-colonialism), as well as indigeneity.
If this sounds like a fit for your research, take a look a closer look and consider submitting a proposal.
Browse the series and download the book proposal form here. |
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NTNU International Taiwan Studies Center Podcast
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Recent Episodes
The Politics of Climate Change, Indigenous Resilience and Adaption Strategies, with Prof. Mucahid Bayrak
The Latest Developments in the Zheng Cheng-Gong Story Between Japan, Taiwan and China, with Prof. Ed Vickers
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Recent Publications in the Taiwan Studies Field
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In the Global Vanguard:
Agrarian Development and the Making of Modern Taiwan - James Lin
In just half a century, Taiwan transformed from an agricultural colony into an economic power, spurred by efforts of the authoritarian Republic of China government in land reform, farmers associations, and improved crop varieties. Yet overlooked is how Taiwan brought these practices to the developing world.
In the Global Vanguard elucidates the history and impact of the “Taiwan model” of agrarian development by incorporating how Taiwanese experts took the country’s agrarian success and exported it throughout rural communities across Africa and Southeast Asia.
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Driven by the global Cold War and challenges to the Republic of China’s legitimacy, Taiwanese agricultural technicians and scientists shared their practices, which they claimed were better suited for poor, tropical societies in the developing world. These development missions, James Lin argues, were projected in Taiwan as proof of the ruling government’s modernity and technical prowess, and were crucial to how the state sought to hold onto its contested position in the international system and its rule by martial law at home. More info here.
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Science as Exploration
A Metaphysics of Science Beyond Phenomena
In this book, Prof. Chen Rueh-lin, a member of the ITSC team, looks at the questions 'what is science?' from an ontological perspective, and argues that the “primary aim of science” is “scientific exploration into the world,” not the “scientific explanation” proposed by many philosophers of science.
Prof. Chen further defines “scientific exploration” as the “exploration into various objects in being (i.e., ontic categories) in the real world,” suggesting that these “objects in being” span a range of ontic categories and that science should explore these ontic categories in terms of examples from science in practice. More info here.
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Christian Mission in Seventeenth-Century Taiwan
A Reception History of Texts, Beliefs, and Practices - Christopher Joby
In the Age of European Expansion, Dutch Reformed and Spanish Catholic missionaries attempted to win the souls of Indigenous Austronesian people in Taiwan. Christopher Joby examines the strategies that the missionaries employed to overcome the gap between their own cultures and languages and those of the Indigenous Austronesians or Formosans in the contact zone of seventeenth-century Taiwan, and evaluates the success of these strategies.
More info here.
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Upcoming Taiwan Studies Events
From Around the World
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The 5th World Congress of Taiwan Studies, jointly organised by
Academia Sinica and National Taiwan Normal University
Venue: Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
Date: May 21 to May 23, 2025
Theme: “Taiwan in a Changing World: Past, Present, and Future.”
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AI and Taiwan Studies Forum
Venue: National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
Date: May 24, 2025
Following hot on the heels of the 5th World Congress of Taiwan Studies, ITSC is hosting an AI and Taiwan Studies Forum on May 24th, 2025. Featuring a keynote speech by Distinguished Research Fellow Wu Jieh-min (吳介民), and presentations by Director Liao Yuan-fu (廖元甫) Associate Professor Yau Hon-min (姚宏旻), Associate Professor Ming-yeh Rawnsley (蔡明燁), Dr. Hood Chang (張嘉祜), and others, the forum will discuss the impact and opportunities provided by AI in the vast, diverse field of Taiwan Studies—from social perception of AI and information security to media studies, outreach, and publishing. The Forum will be held at NTNU’s Bo-Ai Building. Both Chinese-English and English-Chinese interpretation will be provided.
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University of Washington
228 Exhibition
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Echoes of History, Calls of Memory: The 228 Incident Exhibition
In partnership with the 228 Memorial Foundation (Taiwan) and the UW Tateuchi East Asia Library, the UW Taiwan Studies Arts & Culture Program welcomes you to our 228 Memorial pop-up exhibition and related events.
Apr 24th - 30th, 2025
More info here
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IJTS: Research Article Competition 2025!
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The 2025 International Journal of Taiwan Studies (IJTS) Research Article Competition has begun.
We welcome submission of original research articles relevant to the broadly defined field of Taiwan studies. There are two categories for entry: Art & Humanities; and Social Sciences. The article should be between 6,000 and 12,000 English words in length.
Submission deadline is 30 April 2025.
Access details here |
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UCLA-NTNU Taiwan Studies Initiative Conference, May 2nd - 3rd
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MIT (Made-in-Taiwan) Redux: New Approaches to Material and Technological Cultures in Taiwan
This year's conference is presented as part of the UCLA-NTNU Taiwan Studies Initiative, a partnership of UCLA and National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) that aims to create research synergies to promote cutting-edge research in Taiwan studies.
Date: May 2nd - 3rd
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Taiwanese Language Teaching Conference at Inalco, May 5th - 6th
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Taiwanese Language Teaching and Theories: Communication, Innovation, Taiwanization
Co-organized by the Chair of Taiwanese Studies at Inalco, Kaohsiung Normal University and the International Taiwan Studies Center at NTNU, the conference will focus on three dimensions of discussion and reflection: circulation, innovation and Taiwanization.
Date: May 5th - 6th
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Made in CEE? Taiwanese Chips and Chinese Cars in the European Autoindustry
Talk by Dominika Remžová on the shifting dynamics of Chinese EV investments and Taiwan’s chip diplomacy in Central and Eastern Europe.
May 7th, 2025.
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The 22nd Annual Conference at the Palacky University Olomouc on 20 - 22 June, 2025
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Conference Theme: Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific
More Information here
Call for book reviews here |
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Taiwan Europe Connectivity Workshop
June 29 - July 5, 2025 ERCCT (Tübingen)
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The European Research Center on Contemporary Taiwan - A CCK Foundation Overseas
Center at Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany, will hold a workshop for emerging
young scholars from 29 June to 5 July, 2025. The main topic for the workshop is:
“The state of affairs in cross-strait relations: taking stock and looking ahead".
More Info Here
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IJTS Topical Section - Call for Abstracts
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Professor Chia-Ling Yang (University of Edinburgh) is guest-editing a topical section for a forthcoming issue of the
International Journal of Taiwan Studies on the theme of 'Contemporary Taiwanese Art Across Borders: Immersive Memory, Identity, and Artistic Agency'.
Submission deadline is 30 June, 2025.
More details here |
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30th NATSA Annual Conference
June 30- July 2, 2025
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Date: June 30 - July 2, 2025
Location: Stanford University
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Useful Content for Teaching and Research
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Yilan Creole - The Only Japanese-based Creole in the World
Yilan Creole, the world’s only surviving Japanese-based creole, is spoken by fewer than 1,000 people in Taiwan’s Yilan County. Residents of two remaining Yilan Creole-speaking villages discuss their unique language, its colonial history and cultural significance. Watch here. |
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Play the Game and Learn Taiwanese With TaiGiddy |
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TaiGiddy is a gamified Taiwanese language learning website developed by the International Taiwan Studies Center at NTNU. It is currently the most comprehensive Taiwanese learning platform in the world with over 1,000 exercises covering thirty categories, including daily life, culture, religion, politics, and new vocabulary. It is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning Taiwanese.
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‘TransTaiwan: A Research Gateway to Taiwan Studies’ (TARGTS)
Dr Isabelle Cockel from the University of Portsmouth, Secretary-General of European Association of Taiwan Studies introduces "TransTaiwan: A Research Gateway to Taiwan Studies" (TARGTS).
Launching its online platform at targts.net, TARGTS now provides more than 700 annotated bibliographies of Taiwan Studies journal articles.
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No.162, Heping E. Rd. Sec. 1, Taipei City 106308, Taiwan |
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