The 18th Annual Conference of the European Association of Taiwan Studies

The 18th Annual Conference of the European Association of Taiwan Studies

Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

15-17 April 2021

Submission Deadlines: 15 September 2020

Taiwan’s contemporary political situation is, without doubt, at a crossroads, both domestically and internationally. Recent political and public-health events, following the outbreak of Covid-19, have shown the importance of Taiwan not only in the Asian region, but worldwide. Nobody could have foreseen the devastating as well as the self-strengthening effect the outbreak of Covid-19 would have on Taiwan.

Since the beginning of the democratization process at the end of 1980s, members of Taiwanese society, including politicians, have been exploring their identity and questioning the approaches they should take in relation to Taiwan’s large neighbour. Cross-Taiwan Strait relations have moved from a period of peace, stability, and a growing trust between 2008 and 2016 to a period of instability, mistrust, and mounting tensions. After the Covid-19 outbreak, the PRC’s rhetoric towards Taiwan’s global position became increasingly hostile, including the continued refusal to allow Taiwan’s presence in the World Health Organization. In the meantime, Taiwan announced a series of policy measures to provide assistance to the international community in its fight against COVID-19, gaining immense public support at home and abroad.

Even before the pandemic, Taiwan’s political and societal situation had reached a symbolic crossroads. President Tsai Ing-wen, elected for her second term this January, turned her back on her predecessor’s foreign policy, choosing instead to prioritise global engagement. The ambivalent attitude of Taiwan’s general public toward the DPP government’s China stance has made the party’s attempts at domestic reform even more difficult.

The 18th EATS Annual Conference aims to cover not only the developments since the Covid-19 outbreak but also the events and changes that led to Taiwan’s current position. We invite contributions from all disciplines, pertaining to all periods, in order to analyse the multiple perspectives from which Taiwan’s past, present and future have been narrated. Taiwan is standing at a symbolic crossroads in many ways. This conference aims to provide a platform for studying this multifaceted phenomenon.

Submission

Please use this form for submitting your abstract to info@eats-taiwan.eu and cc adina.zemanek@eats-taiwan.eu by 15 September 2020 (subject: EATS 2021 abstract, SURNAME, Given Name). One applicant may only submit ONE single-authored abstract (including submissions to the Young Scholar Award competition), unless it is a co-authored paper. When submitting an abstract involving multiple authors, please include all names in your submission email.

EATS welcomes submissions from students currently enrolled in MA programmes. MA panels are not restricted to the theme of the conference, although submissions should be relevant to the broadly defined field of Taiwan Studies. To submit to MA panels, please use this form for submitting your abstract to info@eats-taiwan.eu (subject: EATS 2021 MA abstract, SURNAME, Given Name) and cc beatrice.zani92@gmail.com by 31 October 2020.

After a double-blind evaluation conducted by external reviewers, EATS will announce the successful submissions by 30 November 2020. EATS does not provide reviewers’ comments on submitted abstracts. All postgraduate presenters (PhD and MA students) who are enrolled at European institutions will receive a travel grant of €150.

More information here.