Introduction

2018 Taiwan Association of Southeast Asian Studies (TASEAS) Annual Meeting and Conference “Boundary Construction and Crossing: Monsoon Asia’s Societies, Cultures and Ethnicities”

Southeast Asia is one of the geographically most fragmented, national-boundary wise most irregular, ethnically most plural and culturally most diversified areas in the world. However, researchers have long resorted to a number of contrasts in their efforts to reach a comprehensive understanding of the area: (1) The wet and dry seasonal contrast caused by alternating monsoons, along with it the routines of historical maritime trade, the patterns of subsistent agriculture and the effects of external relationship; (2) The contrast between upland and lowland, and that between coastal and interior, along with them the differences in the diffusion of religions, the formation of polities and the development of modern economies; (3) The contrast between uniformly Austronesian Insular Southeast Asia and the linguistically more diversified Mainland Southeast Asia, along with it the predominantly Islamic and Christian island world and the predominantly Confucian and Buddhist mainland world, plus the political, economic, social and cultural differentiations and tensions from historical to modern periods of time.

On the one hand, these cross-cutting geographic and historic factors contributed to the construction of boundaries between political regimes, subsistence systems, exchange networks, trade patterns, religious domains and linguistic clusters. On the other hand, along with colonial divisions, creation and materialization of national boundaries, contestation of political and religious ideologies, construction of regional systems and the free-flowing of labors and commodities, old boundaries are crumbling while new boundaries emerging.

This year’s conference coincides with the launching of the “New Southbound Policy” by Taiwan government. Aiming at promoting a more comprehensive understanding about Southeast Asia among the participants, the organizing committee presents this conference theme. We hope that the theme, with the historical depth, geographical broadness and cultural subtlety in its conceptual framework, will enhance the quality and scope of this exciting event of scholarly dialogue and gathering. Welcome to the conference and welcome to Taitung.