Keynote Speech

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Lin Man-houng (林滿紅)
Research Fellow at the Institute of Modern History at the Academic Sinica in Taiwan
http://www.mh.sinica.edu.tw/UserDetail.aspx?userID=69&mid=16&tmid=2.

Discussant 1: Prof. Scott Simon
Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Ottawa
http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/soc/eng/profdetails.asp?ID=300

Discussant 2: Prof. Stéphane Corcuff
Associate Professor of political science at the Lyon Institute of Political Studies
http://iep.univ-lyon2.fr/personne.php?Rub=274&id_pers=84

Description:

This year NATSA is honored to have Prof. Lin Man-houng (林滿紅), a leading historian in Taiwan, as our Keynote speaker. In the speech, Prof. Lin will present her latest research paper titled "Taiwan's Sovereign Status and the Neglected Taipei Treaty of 1952." The paper is built upon her latest book From witch hunting, soulstealing, to Taiwan’s identity crisis: New historical perspective of Taiwan’s legal status (獵巫、叫魂與認同危機：臺灣定位新論), in which Prof. Lin argues that after the signing of the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty in 1952, the territorial sovereignty of Taiwan was transferred to the Republic of China. This conclusion has provoked numerous comments and critiques from both historians and scholars studying identity politics in Taiwan in other disciplines. More importantly, it defies the traditional political discourse that treats Taiwan and the Republic of China (ROC) as separate and competing concepts. In this discourse, we are either Taiwanese or citizens of the ROC. Instead, Prof. Lin seems to suggest that both are inalienable elements of the same state, with Taiwan as the territory and the ROC as the government. Prof. Lin has already presented this paper in other academic venues. For additional information on her previous presentation, please see here.

Prof. Lin’s research finding seems to echo the thinking among the younger generation. Most people on this year’s NATSA planning committee are Taiwanese students in their 20s and 30s. Different from our parents’ generation, most of us grew up during or after Taiwan’s democratization. This background makes it easier for us to think outside the ethnic boundary that we inherited when it comes to the issue of national identity. Although we still have different political views, the way we understand the constitutive elements of our state is virtually the same. The experience of living under a democratic regime has given us a natural tendency to identify the territory of the government (the ROC) with the population who have the constitutional rights to elect their public servants and the geographical space (Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu) where these servants are selected to represent. Is this a unique view, or does it actually reflect an emerging consensus on national identity in our society? After two decades of democratic exercise, are we finally coming to a point where, no matter how politicians try to argue otherwise, Taiwan is no longer a country divided by competing national identities?

We are eager to share these issues with all the participants in this year’s annual conference. Are our observations of the younger generation and Taiwanese society correct ones? If not, what is the correct description of the current status of the identity politics in Taiwan? Are there dimensions that have not yet been sufficiently addressed in the past discussion? If the answer is positive, on the other hand, what does this mean to different aspects of our society in the next decade? For example, the evolution of national identity may affect ethnic relations in society. How will the emergence of a national identity consensus alter the dynamic among ethnic groups, classes, genders, subcultures, or even generations? Also, is the experience of living in a democracy, along with the experience of global population flows, adding new elements to the social fabric and posing new identity challenges to our society? What are the potential solutions to these challenges? Finally, how will the evolution of national identity impact the way we understand the boundary and the content of Taiwanese culture? In a world featuring open borders and global connections, to what extent should we believe that there are fixed boundaries or content of Taiwanese culture? In addition, how should we situate Taiwanese culture in the global context, particularly in relation to Chinese Culture? Is it possible to see Taiwan as an air traffic hub, through which diverse life experiences intersect with each other and create a rich and creative cultural environment?

To help us sort through these complex issues, Prof. Scott Simon and Prof. Stéphane Corcuff, both renowned experts in the field of Taiwan Studies and in particular on ethnic relations in Taiwan, will offer their responses to Prof. Lin’s speech and share their insights on the current status of identity politics in this nascent democracy. The event is scheduled for two hours. The speaker will first give a 30-35 minute speech, followed by 30-40 minutes of responses from both discussants (15-20 minutes each), and end with a 45-60 minute Q&A session.