An International Conference: Taiwan and Its Contexts
Keynote Speaker: Fredrick F. Chien, Cathay Financial Holdings Former President, Control Yuan; Taiwan Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan
As the title of this conference indicates, it is our attempt to study Taiwan in its wide-ranging contexts –especially regarding Taiwan's politics, economics, society, history and memories, cultural and counter-culture, literature and the arts, and intellectual dynamics. It is our hope that this conference will shed new light on the current situations in Taiwan, as well as Taiwan's cultural legacy in view of the Greater China region. Needless to say, the question of cultural communication has become increasingly important in global contexts, and translating Taiwan inevitably involves problems of “difference” and “similarity.” Thus, we also wish to combine discussions of traditional Chinese culture with those of contemporary Taiwanese phenomena, in an attempt to find new ways of reading Taiwan as we enlarge our perspectives. It is for this reason that we have invited participants from a wide variety of disciplines, and from a wide range of geographical locations.
During the conference, the presentations can be in either English or Chinese. The evening of the first day features a special Concert of Taiwan Music.