Please see the latest news in Taiwan Studies below:
1) The International Journal of Taiwan Studies (IJTS) is pleased to announce the IJTS Research Article Competition for the year 2025.
This competition is open to anyone with a scholarly interest in Taiwan except members of the judging panels. 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, including references and notes.
Entrants may only submit one article per category. All submissions must be received by the IJTS Editorial Manager by 30 April 2025.
For details, please see attached document or our competition webpage: https://eats-taiwan.eu/international-journal-of-taiwan-studies/ijts-research-article-competition-2025/
2) Taiwan-themed summer school in Czechia
The Palacký University in Olomouc (Czechia) is organizing a summer school Navigating Geostrategic Dynamics in the Indo-Pacific: Focus on Taiwan this June: 16-20 June 2025. The program will feature engaging lectures on Taiwan and hands-on sessions on op-ed writing, AI tools in research, data management, and even a movie screening. Suitable for PhD and advanced MA students. Application deadline 30 March 2025.
More information here or in the attached poster: https://sites.google.com/vieweuvipsummerschool2025/home
3) The University of Nottingham’s Taiwan Research Hub presents a book launch by Dr Robyn Klingler-Vidra, King’s Business School
Startup Capitalism: New Approaches to Innovation Strategies in East Asia
Wednesday 12 March 2025, 12 to 2pm, including lunch which starts at 12pm
LG 106 Hallward Library, University Park, Hybrid Event
Register https://forms.office.com/e/kh8vm2FPMS
4) Symposium Title: 80 Years On: Memory and Legacy of World War II in the ESEA Popular Culture
Tuesday, 2 September 2025
School of Arts, Media and Communication
University of Leicester
The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. This global conflict has shaped the modern world and continues influencing international relations, cultural production and historical discourse. In Europe, V-E Day (8 May 1945) is often commemorated as the end of the war, and yet in the Asia-Pacific region, the war continued relentlessly until Japan’s unconditional surrender on 15 August 1945, following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was on 2 September 1945, when Japan signed the formal surrender document, that World War II officially ended.
The 80th anniversary offers a unique opportunity to examine how World War II is remembered and reimagined in popular culture across East and Southeast Asia (ESEA), and of equal importance, how these representations have been transmitted and circulated across the globe. From blockbuster films to literary works, television dramas to manga, video games to digital media, the portrayal of World War II in popular culture serves as a lens through which memory, identity and historical legacy are constructed and negotiated. The transmission across different cultural contexts also raises pertinent questions about the meaning and problematics of translating war memory.
Submission Details:
This hybrid one-day symposium invites scholars and researchers from diverse disciplines, including but not limited to history, cultural studies, film studies, literary studies and translation studies, to submit abstracts addressing these themes. Comparative and interdisciplinary approaches are especially encouraged.
Topics may include but are not limited to:
· In what ways do films, literary texts and other cultural forms and genres engage with the memory and legacy of the war?
· How do these cultural forms reflect or challenge dominant historical narratives?
· What role does popular culture play in shaping public perceptions of wartime trauma, heroism and reconciliation over the past decades?
· How are transnational perspectives on World War II represented in ESEA popular culture, particularly in relation to Western narratives?
· What are the issues and implications of translating war memory in ESEA popular culture?
Abstract Requirements:
· Abstract length: approx. 300 words for a 15-20 minute presentation.
· A short bio: approx. 150 words. Please include title, author’s name, institutional affiliation and contact information.
Key Dates:
· Deadline for abstract submission: 30 May 2025
· Notification of acceptance: 30 June 2025
· Symposium date: 2 September 2025
ublication plans:
The organisation team is planning to submit an edited book proposal following the symposium. Thus, we particularly welcome submissions of original work that has not already been published. We also welcome proposals of work-in-progress papers. At the end of the symposium, there will be an optional publication planning workshop.
Submission and Inquiries:
Please send abstracts and your biography information (in a single Word document) and any inquiries to ESEAculture@leicester.ac.uk
Further information
Registration fee (daily rate): £50 for waged and £40 for unwaged attendees.
The University of Leicester is hosting the 2025 British Association for Chinese Studies (BACS) annual conference on 3-5 September. Registered BACS conference attendees will receive a £10 discount on the registration fee for this symposium.