|
| |
With the New Year approaching, we are delighted to bring you the December issue of the ITSC Newsletter. Looking back on 2025, it has been a productive and encouraging year for the International Taiwan Studies Center and for Taiwan Studies as a whole, with considerable scholarly effort leading to many new connections among scholars and institutions.
This is a very full issue, featuring an introduction to the European Research Center on Contemporary Taiwan at Tübingen University by its Managing Director, Stefan Braig. We are also expanding the scope of our newsletter by launching a new column, “New Voices in Taiwan Studies” an interview series which will feature younger scholars with fresh, new perspectives in this wide-ranging field. Finally, we have reports on “Culture Wars in Taiwan,” an international conference held this month at NTNU, and on a lecture by Professor Howard Chiang.
We are sincerely grateful for the encouragement and support our readers have shown us throughout 2025, and we look forward to building on this momentum in 2026 as we continue to do our part to strengthen Taiwan Studies. We wish you a safe and joyful holiday season, and all the best in the coming year.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
Director
Nikky Lin
Editorial Team
Josh Edbrooke
Greg Laslo
Chang Feng-en
|
|
|---|
|
|
| |
An Interview With Stefan Braig from the European Research Center on Contemporary Taiwan (ERCCT) at Tübingen University
|
|
|---|
|
Taiwan Studies in Europe has seen strong growth over the past fifteen years, and one of the pioneers of that growth has been the ERCCT at Tübingen. It was an honor to interview Stefan Braig and discover some of the key drivers behind that growth as well as what makes this particular hub of Taiwan Studies unique.
|
|
|
|
Stefan Braig, Managing Director of the European Research Center on Contemporary Taiwan at Tübingen University |
|
|---|
|
|
|
1. Can you explain to us the history of ERCCT? Whose idea was it and why was there a sense that it was necessary?
The ERCCT was founded in 2008, an idea that emerged from joint discussions between the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation and Prof. Schubert. The core idea was to provide a shared platform for researchers interested in Taiwan, because in Germany at least, such scholars were often relatively isolated in their interest within Sinology departments. Since the inception of the ERCCT, it has become something of a hub for scholars across Germany and other parts of Europe to connect and collaborate when researching and disseminating research on Taiwan.
2. The name includes the words "Contemporary Taiwan." Why was the decision made to focus on researching contemporary Taiwan in particular?
|
|
|
New Voices in Taiwan Studies: Wang Wan-yu and the Postwar History of School Lunches in Taiwan
|
|
|---|
|
This issue marks the launch of “New Voices in Taiwan Studies,” a new column featuring interviews with younger scholars with new perspectives, intended to illuminate the breadth, variety, and value of the field of Taiwan Studies, and demonstrate the scope of research possibilities that are open to newcomers.
|
|
Wang Wan-yu (王婉育) is a PhD student at NTNU’s Department of Taiwan Culture, Language and Literature. In our interview, she discusses her dissertation on the history of school lunches, and explains how they and food culture as a whole are avenues to study the development of Taiwan as a nation.
|
|
|
|
|
1. Can you give us a brief introduction to your dissertation?
My doctoral thesis is "The History of 'Nutritional' School Lunch in Post-War Taiwan (1951–2001)," and discusses how school lunches, led by the government, gradually evolved from their earliest incarnation as part of "nutritional improvement" (營養改善) policies into a school lunch policy internal to the education system.
I hope that this research on school lunches will not only fill in a missing piece of the puzzle in the history of Taiwan's food culture, but also work to overturn the past paradigm of such research, which focused primarily on material culture, agricultural development, or modernity. By instead viewing school lunches from a daily-life perspective, and exploring how factors such as food and nutrition education, public health, and industrial technology converged in daily dietary life, it will enrich the scope of research on Taiwan's post-war food and education history.
I have also published work reinterpreting anthropological theories through literary works, exploring mother-daughter relationships and the inheritance of culinary skills.
2. For readers who may not be familiar, what are the origins of Taiwan’s school lunch system?
|
|
|
Culture Wars in Taiwan: Languages, Literature, Identities, and the Politics of Memory
|
|
|---|
|
 |
On December 5, 2025, the Department of Taiwan Culture, Languages and Literature at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) hosted a full-day international conference entitled
Culture Wars in Taiwan: Languages, Literature, Identities, and the Politics of Memory. Also supported by the NTNU International Taiwan Studies Center, the conference brought together scholars from Taiwan, Japan, Europe, the United States, and Australia to examine how language, memory, media, and cultural politics shape contemporary debates over Taiwanese identity.
The conference opened in the morning with welcoming remarks from Professor Yin C. Chuang (莊佳穎), Head of the Department of Taiwan Culture, Languages and Literature at NTNU and an opening speech delivered by Professor Yao-Ting Sung (宋曜廷), Executive Vice President and Research Chair at NTNU, who emphasized the importance of humanities-based inquiry for understanding Taiwan’s linguistic diversity and contested historical narratives. Together, the opening speakers framed the workshop as an exploration of how “culture wars” in Taiwan are embedded in ongoing struggles over memory, language policy, and identity formation.
|
|
|
|
|
Professor Howard Chiang on the Intersection of Taiwan and Queer Sinophone Studies
|
|
|---|
|
This December, Yushan Scholar and UCLA Irving and Jean Stone Professor Shih Shu-mei (史書美) hosted her second series of lectures on Taiwan theory, titled “Taiwan and Sinophone Studies across Disciplines” (跨學科的台灣與華語語系研究演講系列). The second lecture, held on Friday, December 5, saw perhaps the most distinguished speaker yet: Professor Howard Chiang (姜學豪), head of the Center for Taiwan Studies at UC Santa Barbara, and holder of the Lai Ho & Wu Cho-liu Endowed Chair in Taiwan Studies.
The author of two award-winning monographs (
After Eunuchs: Science, Medicine, and the Transformation of Sex in Modern China and
Transtopia in the Sinophone Pacific), Professor Chiang is a leading theorist in the field of queer Sinophone studies. His lecture at NTNU explored possible future directions of queer Sinophone studies in Taiwan through a discussion based on two chapters from his upcoming book,
Trans Without Borders: Decolonial Histories and the Epistemology of Taiwan. The two segments discussed the potential of the
adju (阿督) movement in queer Sinophone studies, and how queer studies can help to democratize the history of Taiwan–in this case, the history of unseen gender and sexual nonconforming people in Taiwan.
|
|
|---|
|
Call for Papers: Keywords of Taiwan Theory III Workshop |
|
|---|
|
For over a decade now, scholars of Taiwan have been ambitiously working to build a theoretical foundation for Taiwan Studies. The “keyword approach,” exemplified by
Keywords of Taiwan Theory (2019) and
Keywords of Taiwan Theory II (2025) involves creating keywords which represent important concepts in Taiwan history, culture, or theory, in order to create a network of experiences, perspectives, positions, and theories. Following the success of the first two volumes, the Keywords of Taiwan Promotional Committee is opening a call for papers for the third volume and the associated workshop, which will be held September 19-20, 2026. |
|
|
|
|
Draft submissions: An 800-1000 character abstract (somewhat flexible)
Paper submission deadline: March 1, 2026
Review results will be announced on April 30, 2026.
Draft length: 5000-8000 characters
Workshop dates: September 19-20, 2026
Submission mailbox: taiwantheory@gmail.com
Organizer: NTNU International Taiwan Studies Center
For more information, click here.
|
|
|---|
|
NTNU Sinophone and Taiwan Studies Book Series Open for Submissions
|
|
|---|
|
The “Sinophone and Taiwan Studies” book series, 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.
Browse the series and download the book proposal form here. |
|
|---|
|
NTNU International Taiwan Studies Center Podcast
|
|
|---|
|
|
Recent Episodes
Reorientating our perspective on Taiwan and the Pacific, releasing three new books in a year and a new start at SOAS, with Professor Ti-han Chang
The Complexities of Taiwan's Foreign Assistance Programs in the 1950s - 1970s, and their effect on the identity of people back in Taiwan, with Professor James Lin |
|
|
|
|
| |
Recent Publications in the Taiwan Studies Field
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
The Twilight Years of Taiwan's Sugar Railways
by Dafydd Fell and Wang Hsiang
The Transport Treasury
Featuring previously unpublished photos which Professor Fell took in the 1990s, this book chronicles the final years of Taiwan's sugar railways. Combined with interviews with retired railway workers, this book brings the history of the railway, from a symbol of colonial power to an obsolete transport system left to decay, forward into the present.
More info here.
|
|
|
|
|---|
|
| |
|
|
The Taiwan Tinderbox
by J. Michael Cole
Polity Books
Renowned Taiwan expert and former intelligence officer J. Michael Cole explains how this Pacific nation has become a tinderbox that could ignite a full-scale global conflict. Drawing on unparalleled access to Taiwanese government sources and two decades of on-the-ground observation, he explores the root causes of the conflict between Taiwan and China. With in-depth analysis of how the war in Europe is influencing preparations by Beijing, Taipei, and Washington for a potential cross-Strait confrontation,
The Taiwan Tinderbox is an impassioned plea for the defense of Taiwan as a priority for the international community and the future of democracy.
|
|
|
|
|---|
|
| |
 |
Encyclopedia of Taiwan Studies Online
This encyclopedia introduces the multifaceted aspects of Taiwan’s past and present in almost 600 entries, authored by more than 300 worldwide scholars who are experts in the archaeology, history, linguistics, anthropology, sociology, political science, international relations, Indigenous studies, literature, gender studies, media studies, cinema and documentary, music, and art of Taiwan. The Encyclopedia can thus be seen as a portal to the multifaceted world of Taiwan, with its vibrant culture, important developments, and radical transformations.
This version is the second online release of the Encyclopedia, containing 10 of its 15 sections. Release of the third and last installment is planned at the end of 2025, followed by the print version in 2026.
The Encyclopedia is edited by Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao (Editor-in-Chief), Lung-Chih Chang, Kuei-Fen Chiu, Isabelle Cockel, Nancy Guy, Dafydd Fell, Ming-Sho Ho, Anru Lee, Lih-Yun Lin, Hsin-Tien Liao, Scott Simon, Ming-Yeh Rawnsley, Cheng-Hwa Tsang, Robert Weller, Alan Hao Yang, and Elizabeth Zeitoun (Associate Editors). More info here. |
|
|---|
|
|
| |
Upcoming Taiwan Studies Events
From Around the World
|
|
|---|
|
| |
|
|
NATSA Annual Conference: Call for Proposals |
|
|---|
|
The theme of the 31st NATSA annual conference is "Resonance/Dissonance - Taiwan Studies, Knowledge Production and Power Assymetry."
Conference: June 26th - 28th, 2026
Proposals accepted until December 31st, 2025.
|
|
|
|
|---|
|
| |
|
|
SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies Presents: Global Taiwan – Literature and Translation Workshop
|
|
|---|
|
The SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies presents the "Global Taiwan - Literature and Translation Workshop," bringing together writers, translators, and scholars to explore how Taiwanese literature travels across languages, cultures and borders.
Date: 12 Jan 2026, 11:00am - 16:30pm
Venue: Room C429, SOAS Main Building
More info here. |
|
|
|
|---|
|
| |
|
|
26th International Conference of the Cultural Studies Association at NTNU
|
|
|---|
|
Taiwan's Cultural Studies Association (文化研究學會) is organizing “Transculturation: The 26th Annual International Conference of the Cultural Studies Association,” in collaboration with the NTNU International Taiwan Studies Center. The event will be held at NTNU’s Heping Campus on March 7-8, 2026.
More info here.
|
|
|
|
|---|
|
| |
|
|
Taiwan Colloquium events run throughout January 2026 and feature talks from experts including Prof. Jonathan Sullivan (Nottingham), Dr. Huang Jou-Fei (Academia Sinica), Chen Pei-chi (NTU) and Chang Chuan-hsien (Academia Sinica).
Date: January 12th, 19th and 26th
Time: 4pm - 6pm
|
|
|
|
|---|
|
| |
Useful Content for Teaching and Research
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
The Story Behind the "Taiwan Relations Act"
December 15, 1978, then-US President Jimmy Carter announced the end of formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of China. For Americans living in Taiwan, conducting business and living everyday life, it meant an uncertain future. The head of that community was then-president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan, Robert Parker. In this interview, Parker shares how together with business and community leaders, they helped stop institutions from withdrawing, preserved Taiwan-US business structures and provided testimony and suggestions to Congress that would help shape the bedrock of modern US-Taiwan relations: the Taiwan Relations Act.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|---|
|
| |
|
|
Open Access Articles from the
International Journal of Taiwan Studies |
|
|---|
|
There are currently 44 open access articles from the
International Journal of Taiwan Studies. For a complete list and links to download, click here. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|---|
|
| |
|
|
Taiwan Lit and the Global Sinosphere
Taiwan Lit, launched in the summer of 2020, is an online scholarly journal focusing on studies of Taiwan literature and culture. It is published by the Center for Taiwan Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.
We invite submissions in either English or Chinese. Please see the descriptions of each individual section for details.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|---|
|
| |
|
|
"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).
TARGTS now provides more than 700 annotated bibliographies of Taiwan Studies journal articles.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|---|
|
| | |
No.162, Heping E. Rd. Sec. 1, Taipei City 106308, Taiwan |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|
|
| |
|
|
|
|  |
|
|
|
|
