12th Annual Conference of North American Taiwan Studies Association

Date: July 03-05, 2006
Location: University of California at Santa Cruz, USA
Submission deadline: Dec. 15, 2005
Acceptance notification: February 2006

Taiwan Studies is encountering several critical intersections in the tension between theory and praxis, in the dialogue between different disciplines, and in the international contestation that is resituating its academic position. Taiwan Studies was once the surrogate of “China Studies” during the heights of the Cold War, and was subject to the new political framework of the “America-China” relationship following rapprochement in the 1970s . Since the late 1980s, the island's extraordinary political, social, and economic transformations have led to a fresh Taiwan-centered focus for research, and have attracted unprecedented attention from the world's intellectuals. Through the effort of a first generation of Taiwan scholars, the founding of NATSA in 1994 marked the increasing attention from Western academi a .

In the 12 th annual meeting of NATSA , we call for a reconsideration of multiple boundaries existent in the field of Taiwan Studies: First, the margins between academia and activism, second, t he borders between disciplines, and third, the boundaries among Taiwan Studies and studying Taiwan . 1) Facing the current political environment in Taiwan , how can we bridge theory and practice, and how can further social praxis be staged? W hat is the politics, the critical project, of Taiwan Studies, both local and global , and what agenda does it provide to confront the challenges of diverse practical needs ? 2 ) Facing the emerging phenomena in Taiwan society , how can new discipline s and interdisciplinary approaches contribute to our understanding of Taiwan and Taiwan Studies ? I n what disciplines and areas of research has Taiwan become a significant focus ? Does Taiwan Studies have transformative potential and visionaries in their respective fields ? 3) W hat is the significance of Taiwan Studies i n t he new globalized world order? How can Taiwan Studies contribute to progressive politics in Taiwan , yet be open to discussion of global concerns ?

NATSA 2006 provides a forum for dialogue between disciplines, between theories and practices, as well as for harnessing new directions for future Taiwan Studies. For the 2006 conference, we particularly welcome papers and panels responding to the three issues above. In addition to this theme, submissions are encouraged regarding any topic of interest within the Taiwan Studies rubric (please see the Submission Guideline for the broad list of included fields) .

To encourage initiatives from conference participants and provide diverse means of presentation and discussion, submissions in the following two formats are welcomed:

1. Proposed Panels -- The NATSA strongly encourages self-organized panels. Proposals for a full panel should consist of 3 to 4 paper presentations as related to a shared theme. To submit a panel proposal, the panel organizer(s) must submit a title and a 400-500-word panel abstract (including the purpose and objectives and expected outcomes) along with abstracts of individual papers (with the same requirements as individual papers). NATSA reserves the right to ask for modification of submitted abstracts for panel proposals if necessary.

2. Individual Papers -- Individual papers present results of individual or collaborative research. Individual paper submissions will include a title and a 250-300-word abstract stating the purpose and objectives, methodology and research outcome.

Abstract submissions will include a title, body, any keywords, and one (1) category selection from the following:

Conference contributors may be eligible for travel grants to attend the
conference. Details will be announced on the website in the future.