Call for Proposals: Taiwan Studies in Application

November 15, 2021 – December 31, 2021
George Washington University

2121 I St NW
Washington, DC

Image courtesy of NATSA.

Image courtesy of NATSA.

North American Taiwan Studies Association 27th Annual Conference

July 8 – 10, 2022
George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Research and practice are not two mutually exclusive professions. Instead, the boundary between them is increasingly blurred nowadays. This new social trend opens possibilities for thoughtful, creative, and impactful engagement between researchers and practitioners such that they could complement each other for the betterment of our shared world.

NATSA has been standing at the forefront of Taiwan studies, advancing the field in knowledge production as well as fostering meaningful interaction between academia and civil society. Hence, our 2022 conference will feature “application” to honor diverse approaches to engaging with Taiwan and Taiwan studies. NATSA looks forward to developing robust relationships, constructive dialogues, and collaborative actions for both researchers and practitioners. While we aim to have an in-person conference next year in Washington, D.C., we will closely follow the situation of the pandemic and finalize the format of the annual meeting in accordance with the local public health guidance.

Important dates (Eastern Time):

Call for proposals open: November 15 – December 31, 2021
Notification of acceptance: March 31, 2022
In-person conference: July 8 – 10, 2022

We invite proposal submissions that actively engage with the following set of questions:

1. New directions in Taiwan studies

  • In what ways are Taiwan, science, practice, and politics connected in your profession(s)?

  • Anchored in Taiwan studies, what further work needs to be done to deepen meaningful connections between people and the planet?

  • How can your proposal contribute to future advancements or new perspectives in your profession(s)?

  • How will your research proposal facilitate productive dialogues or interactions between academics and practitioners in your profession(s)?

2. Marginalization in and of Taiwan studies

  • With the conference theme in mind, what topics are currently marginalized in Taiwan studies?

  • Why do researchers and practitioners need to pay attention to the topics you specify?

  • How can researchers and practitioners do more to address the marginalization of these topics?

  • How can Taiwan studies collaborate with other minorities across the globe?

3. Reflections on the binary between researchers and practitioners

  • How do researchers and practitioners interact with each other in your profession(s)?

  • How does the researcher-practitioner binary affect those works requiring both research skills and social activism in your profession(s)?

  • What are some structural factors that shape and reinforce the researcher-practitioner binary?

  • How do you make sense of your own positionality and identity amidst the dynamics mentioned above?

  • What does it mean to you to engage with Taiwan in your profession(s)?