In the past, when Taiwan was included in Western academia, it was often treated as a footnote within broader fields of study, such as East Asia or China studies. But now, that’s beginning to change.
Taiwan studies has been gaining ground as a standalone field of scholarship. Several U.S. universities have established new Taiwan studies centers, thanks in large part to generous donations. Top academic journals and conferences are increasingly championing Taiwan-focused research. And more students are showing interest in studying the country’s history, politics and culture than ever before.
Experts agreed that current events — including Taiwan’s successful COVID-19 policy, rising tensions between the U.S. and China and, of course, the ongoing threat of a Chinese invasion — have played a major role.
“The political tension, the trade war, everything kind of contributed a great deal to raising the visibility of Taiwan,” said Yvonne Chang, director of the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Taiwan Studies.
Many Taiwan studies scholars said they view the new developments as an exciting and overdue step forward. But more must be done, they said, for the field to maintain its momentum and solidify its place in academia.
Current Events, Donations Catalyze Taiwan Studies Growth
When the American Political Science Association’s Conference Group on Taiwan Studies was established in the early 1990s, it was one of the first champions of Taiwan studies outside of Taiwan.
Back then, the group had only about five articles and one panel represented at the association’s national conference, which focuses on a wide range of political science topics and is the largest gathering of political scientists in the world.
Thirty years later, the group’s output has increased monumentally: It will contribute a total of about 60 articles and 10 panels between the 2023 and upcoming 2024 conferences, said Austin Wang, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the conference group’s coordinator. Research topics range from Taiwan’s voting system and gender dynamics to how Taiwanese politicians use temples for campaigning.
“When it comes to the range and depth of Taiwan studies, we can see huge progress,” Wang said.
The public has had no shortage of reasons to pay more attention to Taiwan in recent years, from it becoming the first Asian nation to recognize same-sex marriage to then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s historic visit to Taipei and the continued speculation of whether or not the country could soon be at war with China.
The repeated mention of Taiwan in global news has naturally translated into curiosity among scholars and students.
“Student interest is high,” said Dafydd Fell, director of the Centre of Taiwan Studies at SOAS University of London, which is one of the longest-standing Taiwan studies hubs outside of Taiwan. “Gender, social movements, election party politics — these are all things that our students find really interesting.”
But Taiwan’s tendency to make headlines isn’t the only reason why Taiwan studies programs are growing. Funding from both government agencies and private donors has also driven the expansion of Taiwan studies programs over roughly the past five years.
In 2021, the University of Texas at Austin received a grant from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expand its Taiwan Studies program into the Center for Taiwan Studies. The center, which focuses on interdisciplinary studies, currently has 11 doctoral students from departments across the university pursuing research related to Taiwanese literature, film and culture. Class offerings range from “Taiwan: Colonization, Migration, and Identity” to “History of Food and Healing in China and Taiwan.”
“We tend to kind of brag about it: We are training the next generation of scholars in Taiwanese literature,” Chang said.
In 2023, the University of California San Diego established its own Center for Taiwan Studies after receiving a $5 million donation from a Taiwanese alumnus and his wife. The center aims to “expand the cultural understanding of Taiwan and Taiwanese Americans,” according to its website.
To Be Sustainable, More Investment Is Needed
While the recent invigoration of Taiwan studies programs is encouraging, more investment and resources are needed in order for the growth to be sustainable, scholars said.
Most important, they said, is manpower. They voiced the need for more job opportunities for Taiwan studies graduates to remain in the field, including professorships, postdoctoral positions or research positions at think tanks, government agencies and private companies.
“In my view, one critical resource lacking is human capital in the education equation,” said Richard Haddock, a doctoral researcher in U.S.-Taiwan affairs. “Really, we can’t sustain university programs without the people, without the faculty.”
The key to creating those positions is, of course, funding.
Other countries, including Japan and South Korea, have rigorously funded professorships in the U.S. and elsewhere in recent years. The Korea Foundation, for example, has funded more than 150 professorships in 99 countries, according to its website.
Such postings can free up scholars’ time to focus specifically on one area of study as well as help ensure that programs don’t become too dependent on a single faculty member to keep them running.
Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council has a new program to provide funding for Taiwan studies research and faculty at top international universities. But the maximum grant amount of $1 million is still too low, said James Lin, a historian of Taiwan and assistant professor at the University of Washington. He added that creating a new line of faculty at a large university typically costs between $4 and $5 million.
Lin and other academics said they hope Taiwan will follow Japan and South Korea’s framework and dedicate more funding to Taiwan studies moving forward.
“It’s just such a successful model, and it’s kind of a pity that the Taiwanese government has not followed that model,” Lin said.
Leave a Reply