Call for Papers

Isles and Exiles

The 19th Annual Conference of the European Association of Taiwan Studies

Northern Institute of Taiwan Studies (NorITS) & Institute for the Study of the Asia Pacific (ISAP)

University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Larnaca, UCLan Cyprus Campus

6-8 April, 2022

Submission Deadlines: 15 September 2021

Organising institutions

NorITS (Northern Institute of Taiwan Studies) is an interdisciplinary hub of teaching, research, public policy and cultural activities. Its main aim is to further the development of the academic study of Taiwan and to take part in social and cultural exchanges between Britain and Taiwan. Its team members approach Taiwan from different disciplinary angles, including history, anthropology, gender studies, migration studies, cultural studies, environment studies, literature, and international relations.

ISAP (Institute of the Study of the Asia Pacific) is an umbrella institute that incorporates a number of research institutes and centres focussed on Asia Pacific studies. These include: The International Institute of Korean Studies (IKSU), the Northern Institute of Taiwan Studies (NorITS), the Northern England Policy Centre for the Asia Pacific (NEPCAP), and the Centre of Austronesian Studies (COAST). It aims to provide high standards of interdisciplinary research, teaching, and innovation to create a distinctive and interactive learning environment for students at UCLan and to contribute to wider discussions on relevant themes and issues within the Asia Pacific Region.

Conference theme: isles and exiles

The 19th EATS annual conference will convene at UCLan Cyprus. Choosing to hold the event on Cyprus, a Mediterranean island country much affected by the ongoing geopolitical conflicts and instabilities in the region, adds many layers of symbolic meaning to our conference theme, ‘Isles and Exiles’.

This island location also resonates with the situation that is/was/continues to be experienced by Taiwan. Surrounded by the sea, they are both lands of arrival and lands of departure, in both past and present times. Meanwhile, they are also both lands on the border and lands with borders. Such conditions go some way to explain why they are the focus of regional conflicts. The experiences of these two isles thus offer an alternative perspective for understanding past and contemporary events in a world where discourses of identity are predominantly shaped by nations located on the continent. Furthermore, they provide rich contexts and material for discussion on the subject of exiles. ‘Isles and Exiles’ evokes a sense of pluralities, searching for the multiple dimensions of identity that go beyond and draw connections to the exilic, the displaced, and the im-/e-migrated.

With this conference, we want to bring to the fore the multiple identities of Taiwan, conceived as a paradoxical space: an entity separated by water from the mainland yet connected by the sea to the islands of the Pacific; a place on the periphery, yet one that is central to regional and global dynamics; a land affected by the challenges posed by the environment, but which is also a source of experiments in community, economic and ecological development; a place of arrival and refuge, or of departure and escape.

The 19th EATS annual conference would therefore like to invite contributions from all disciplines, pertaining to all periods, in order to address and respond to the wider implications of the theme of ‘Isles and Exiles’.

Submission

Regular panels

Please use this form for submitting your abstract to info@eats-taiwan.eu (subject: abstract of SURNAME, Given Name) and cc adina.zemanek@eats-taiwan.eu by 15th September 2021.

MA panels

EATS welcomes submissions from students currently enrolled in MA programmes. MA panels are not restricted to the theme of the conference, although it 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: MA abstract of SURNAME, Given Name) and cc beatrice.zani92@gmail.com by 31st October 2021.

Review and acceptance

After a double-blind review process, EATS will announce the successful submissions around 15th November 2021. Accepted postgraduate presenters (PhD and MA students) who are affiliated with European institutions, or the 2021 Young Scholar Award finalists, will receive a travel grant of €150.

BA/BSc undergraduate poster competition

Sponsored by ISAP and NorITS, this conference will host a poster competition on any topic related to Taiwan for BA/BSc students currently enrolled at UK and European universities. Winners of first, second and third prizes will be awarded respectively €100, €70, €50. Awarded posters will be on display at the conference. The first prize winner will be invited to give an oral presentation on an MA panel and receive a travel grant of €150.

Please send your A2-size (42.0cm x 59.4cm) poster in a digital file (JPEG, PNG, or PDF) with this form to lara.momesso@eats-taiwan.eu by 15th November 2021 (subject: poster of SURNAME, Given Name). Winners will be announced around 30th November 2021.