Events and Announcements

Stuff happening around Taiwan, conference on democracy Oct 14, call for papers from EATS, and the design expo in Taichung:

The Institute of International Relations of National Chengchi Univ. will soon inaugurate the MacArthur Center for Security Studies thanks to a grant from the MacArthur Foundation.

The center will be devoted to security studies with a view to promoting peace and understanding across the Taiwan Strait, according to an NCCU press release.

Great, another pro-Blue quote maufacturing house. The European Association of Taiwan Studies is putting out a call for papers....

Seventh Annual Conference of the European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS)

Call For Papers

The European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS) will hold its seventh annual conference on 8-10 April 2010. The conference is co-organized by Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, European Research Center on Contemporary Taiwan (ERCCT), School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS).

Venue: Tübingen, Germany

The organizers particularly welcome abstracts on the following themes:

1. The Phenomenon of Bentuhua in Taiwanese Society I & II. These two panels focus on different aspects of the cultural and political change in the late 1970s and the 1980s known as bentuhua (indigenization). Preference is given to papers with a multi-disciplinary perspective. We also welcome papers that examine the legacy of thebentuhua movement in contemporary Taiwan following the recent change in political leadership and subsequent cultural policies.

2. Popular Culture in Cinema, Music and Online. Cinema and pop music is heavily influenced by mass media. Taiwan has been a pioneer in the new technologies of information and communication, playing strong societal influences in gaming, cosplay, BBS, and BLOGs. This panel employs a comparative approach to evaluate Taiwan’s recent developments.

3. Economic Integration and the PRC. Taiwan has been severely affected by the global economic crisis. In order to find a solution to this crisis, the new government has been trying to sign an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China. This panel aims to explore the possible effects, benefits, and risks of such an agreement, and also examine alternative ways in which Taiwan is seeking to deal with the situation.

4. Archival Materials Revisited. Archives located in Europe and Asia provide abundant resources on Taiwan. These archives support the uplifting of cultural consciousness in Taiwan’s historical process. This panel considers papers from any disciplinary or theoretical perspective that position the use and contribution of archival materials in the discipline of Taiwan Studies.

5. Language Policies in Historical and Contemporary Perspective. Language policies under the different regimes of Taiwan history have been aimed at different political goals. This panel examines the problem in a comparative perspective and aims to disclose the deeper relationships between contemporary authorities, its agencies and society.

6. Literature. The panel is open for papers that focus on textual and contextual analysis of Taiwanese literary writings, the evaluation of writers and their literary work, as well as new aspects of Taiwanese literature’s historical contexts. The panel is not limited to any particular historical period or topic.

7. Taiwan History with special attention to the Indigenous Past. This panel examines the aboriginal past and explores how it interacts with the specificities of Taiwanese history. We consider papers that focus on the description of indigenous cultures and Austronesian languages, as well as their significance vis-à-vis history, identity questions and the processes of modernity.

8. Internet and ICT. E-governance and e-commerce is widely used in Taiwan, but little attention has been focused on theses issues in the Western language research. This panel will critically question their effectiveness and usability. Comparative perspectives in Asia are encouraged.

9. Placemaking, Multiculturalism and the City. This panel invites new empirical work and contrasting theoretical approaches on how communities create a sense of place. What is the role of the state and commerce in city place-making defined as modern, global and corporate? How do individuals in their daily lives make a sense of place? How do virtual places produce new possibilities for place-making around different forms of identity?

10. Domestic Politics. Two years into the re-election of the KMT, this panel examines changes and continuities in the realms of party- and party power politics, public policy, reform of (local) government, constitutional reality, and inter-ethnic relations

11. MA Panel. Masters students enrolled in a Taiwan Studies Programme or working on a dissertation focused on Taiwan at a European university are particularly encouraged to apply to present their research in the EATS MA panel.

Panel proposals are not accepted. Please indicate the theme panel you submit your abstract to. The conference will start on Thursday afternoon and finish on Saturday evening.

In addition, we will consider outstanding submissions in the following disciplinary areas:

1. Economics and Business
2. Anthropology and Religion
3. Law, Finance and International Relations
4. History and Geography
5. Cultural and Area Studies
6. Cross-Strait Relations
7. Linguistics

Please submit a A-4 ONE PAGE (500) word abstract by 15 November 2009. Please upload your abstract to the URL http://eats-taiwan.eu/annual-meeting

We will announce the accepted abstracts on 1 December 2009.

Participants who present papers and affiliated with European institutions will be eligible for travel grants. Details will be announced.

Next week there is a conference on democracy, held in Taipei, of course.

Democracy Building in Asia
Taipei, Taiwan
A Symposium Featuring Practitioners and Experts on Democratic Development
Co-Hosted by
The Heritage Foundation, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, Institute for National Policy Research

Keynote address by President of the Legislative Yuan, ROC (Taiwan)
Speaker Wang Jin-pyng
The Heritage Foundation, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, and Taiwan’s Institute for National Policy Research are collaborating on a symposium aimed at generating constructive, practical conversation about the requirements of democratic reform. The one-day conference will feature panel discussions with speakers from the United States, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Australia, sitting members of legislatures in the region, government agencies, and scholars. Topics will include legislative optimization and tools of democracy; free and fair elections; ensuring liberal freedoms; and judicial reform and rule of law.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009
8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel – Taipei, Taiwan
Democracy Building in Asia
Taipei, Taiwan
0830-0900 Registration
0900-0930 Welcome by Dr. Edwin J. Feulner, President, The Heritage Foundation (U.S.)
Welcome by Dr. Tien Hung-mao, President, Institute for National Policy Research (Taiwan)
0930-1100 Legislative Optimization and Tools of Democracy
Chair – Dr. Tien Hung-mao, President, Institute for National Policy Research (Taiwan)
Daniel P. Mulhollan, Director, Congressional Research Service (U.S.)
Dr. Shaw Yu-ming, Chairperson, Coordination Council for North American Affairs (Taiwan)
Hsiao Bi-khim, former member, Taiwan Legislative Yuan (Taiwan)
CV Madhukar, Senior Fellow and Director, PRS Legislative Research (India)
1100-1115 Break
1115-1245 Free and Fair Elections:
Chair – Lorne Craner, President, International Republican Institute (U.S.)
Dr. Liu I-chou, Professor, Department of Political Science, National Chengchi University (Taiwan)
Damaso Magbual, Chairman, Asian Network for Free Elections (the Philippines)
Pupung Suharis, Member, DPR (Indonesia)
1300-1430 Luncheon Keynote Speaker: Wang Jin-pyng, Speaker, Taiwan Legislative Yuan, and Chairman, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
1445-1615 Ensuring Liberal Freedoms:
Chair – Walter Lohman, Director, Asian Studies Center, The Heritage Foundation (U.S.)
Dr. Lin Wen-cheng, President, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (Taiwan)
Dr. Kuo Cheng-Tian, Chairperson and Professor, Department of Political Science, National Chengchi University (Taiwan)
Theo Sambuaga, MP (Indonesia)
Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, President, National Human Rights Society (Malaysia)
1615-1745 Judicial Reform and Rule of Law:
Chair – Richard Gordon, Senator (the Philippines)
Dr. Chu Yun-han, President, Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation (Taiwan)
Rinchinnyamyn Amarjargal, Chairman, The Amarjargal Foundation (Mongolia)
Dr. Joseph Wu Jaushieh, Research Fellow, National Chengchi University (Taiwan)
John Roskam, Executive Director, Institute of Public Affairs (Australia)
1745-1800 Concluding Remarks by Representatives of TFD, INPR, and The Heritage Foundation

Events ongoing: the Bluesman with great pics from the design expo held in Taichung last weekend. Currently hosted by the former Wine Bureau winery, it goes on to the 18th.

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