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Taiwan Europe Connectivity Workshop 2024

TECW 2024

From July 8 to 12, the ERCCT continued the Taiwan Europe Connectivity Workshop series by hosting 13 aspiring scholars from various institutions in Taiwan and Europe at the lovely university guest house for them to present and discuss their research projects among each other and with ERCCT Fellows.
After warm welcoming remarks delivered by ERCCT Co-Director Prof. Tseng Yu-chin, Koh Hyemin from the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies at National Cheng Chi University gave the first presentation of the workshop, speaking on 'China's Cognitive Warfare and Taiwan's Elections in 2024'. Continuing this panel on Cross-Strait Relations was Ku Ming-I from the International Doctoral Program in Asia-Pacific Studies at National Chengchi University with 'Impacts of China's Cognitive Warfare in the 2024 Taiwan Presidential Election and Taiwan's Response Strategies'. Sze Woon Miller from the Lau China Institute at King's College London then turned the focus from cognitive warfare to Taiwan's mental readiness for actual warfare by introducing participants to her Ph.D. project on 'Taiwan's Civil Society and Military Transformation: How Taiwanese Identity and Culture Shape Understanding of the Security Threat'. Yet another perspective on Cross-Strait Relations, namely the one from Mando Pop studies was brought in by Liu Chang from the Heidelberg Center of Transcultural Studies. His presentation was titled 'Kris Phillips, A Twofold Narrative of Return', analysing the case of Fei Hsiang, a pop singer born to an American father and a mainlander Taiwanese mother, who became a big hit in the PRC in the late eighties.
On Tuesday, July 9, Lee Shih-Min from the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies at National Chengchi University opened the panel on Geopolitics and International Relations by delivering his presenation titled 'Analysis of Whether the CCP's Foreign Policy Represents Geopolitical Hegemony from 2010 to 2023: A Case Study of the South China Sea'. Klára Schwarzová from the Department of Asian Studies at Palacky University in Olomouc followed with 'An Assessment of Taiwan's Soft Power in the Czeck Republic: a Case Study'. Then, after using the opportunity of a sunshiny coffebreak to take a group photo, Fiodar Piacherski from the Graduate Institute of Taiwan History at National Chengchi University introduced the historical dimension to the panel, presenting on the 'Legal Implications of the Tuapse "Seizure": Understanding the Taiwan-Soviet Conflict within International Legal Frameworks'.
The programme on Wednesday, July 10, then featured two panels, one on IR Theory and one on Taiwan's Indigenous Peoples. Contributors to the first one were Dr Liu Hui-Chun 劉慧純 from the Centre of Taiwan Studies at SOAS pondering the question 'How Has Chinese Scholarship Constructed Chinese-characteristic International Relations Theory and Their Implications for International Order?' and Lin Yi-Hui from the Institute of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, who spoke about 'Everyday Reproduction of State Sovereignty in Taiwan'. Dr Agathe Lemaitre from the LISE (CNAM, CNRS) in Paris next opened the panel on Indigenous Peoples. Her topic was 'When categories dictate reality: Re-scaling the wildlife through the example of the Paiwan relationship with the extinct clouded leopard'. Lin Wan-Jou from the Deparmtent of Taiwan Cutlure, Languages and Literature at National Taiwan Normal University rounded the panel off, speaking about 'Decades of Relocation: Indigenous Women and Their Fight for Land Rights'.
Sociological themes were then explored during the mornning of Thursday, July 11. Chang Ting-She from the Department of Sociology at National Taiwan University presented 'Channeling Prison Healthcare with Punishment and Rehabilitation: Care Practice and "Just" Care Infrastructures in Taiwanese Penal Institutions', followed by Dr Lu Meng-Tsung from the Institure of Sociology at Academia Sinica with 'How to Make an Elephant Dance? An Analysis of Taiwan's Implementation of Gender Mainstreaming from the Institutional Logics Perspective'.
Apart from the project presentations, the workshop also featured contributions from the side of the ERCCT itself. ERCCT Director Prof. Gunter Schubert introduced the center’s objectives and programmes on the afternoon of the first day. On Tuesday afternoon ( July 9) Ms. Paula Silvetti, an experienced city guide took the participants to a city tour centering on the history and the most picturesque historical buildings of Tübingen University and city. The following punting boat tour on the Neckar River provided for a very relaxed end of the day. ERCCT team members and fellows briefly presented their individual research projects on Wednesday afternoon. A group discussion on ‘Political Polarization in Taiwan’ showed exactly how Taiwan's democracy suffers from polarization. The social programme featured a visit to Hohenzollern Castle (July 11, afternoon) and to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart on Friday, July 12, before the workshop was closed with a cheerful dinner at the Castle of Hohenentringen.

Taiwan Europe Connectivity Workshop 2023

TECW 2023

As a real highlight in a very busy semester, the ERCCT team was pleased to welcome eleven young scholars from Taiwan and Europe to the second ERCCT Taiwan Europe Connectivity Workshop, held from 17 to 21 July 2023 in Tübingen.
Joined by ERCCT Visiting Scholars Prof. Anne Sokolsky and Prof. Lee Po-Han, Visiting Fellows Dr. Tsai Jia-Shin and Wu Peng-chi, and ERCCT Short-Term Resident Fellows Dr. Daniel Davies and Dr Di Qing as well as ERCCT Resident Fellow Judy Lee, the eleven external participants presented their current research projects and discussed them very lively and constructively at the University Guesthouse, so beautifully situated on the hillside at Lessingweg 3.
The first presenter on Monday, 17 July, was Ms. Huang Yun-Ju from the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies at National Chengchi University. She talked about her project on security in the Taiwan Strait ‘The Edge of the War? An Analysis of China’s Red Lines toward Taiwan’, followed by Mr. Liew Zeng Ee from the Department of Politics at the University of Surrey speaking about ‘Understanding Taiwan’s International Affairs through Metis Diplomacy’, and ERCCT Visiting Fellow Dr. Tsai Jia-Shin from the Institute of Sociology at Academia Sinica, who presented his paper titled ‘Dwelling as the problem and the method: Struggling for alternatives to capitalism in urban and rural Taiwan, 1989 – 2010s’.
On Tuesday, 18 July, Mr. Chung Sanho form the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona made the start, delivering his presentation on ‘Local Elections and Resilience of Clientelism in Democratic Taiwan’. Mr Manlai Nyamdorj from the Department of Chinese Studies at the University of Trier then followed, introducing his study of ‘The Political Economy of Taiwan’s Media System’. Next in line was Ms. Huang Yin-shan, also from the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies at National Chengchi University, speaking on ‘Interstate Relations and Military Conduct - Analysis of the Activities of Chinese Military Aircraft around Taiwan’. A very different aspect of security, in this case climate security and ‘Taiwanese Approaches to Future Climate Displaced People’ was treated in the paper presentation by Ms. Kate H Martin from the Institute for the Study of Asia Pacific at the University of Central Lancashire, who rounded off the academic part of the second workshop day.
The programme on Wednesday, 19 July, was then mainly dedicated to profound sociological research projects and opened by Dr. Wang Anne-Chie from the Institute of Sociology at Academia Sinica with the presentation of her project titled ‘Assembling End-of-Life Care Regime in Taiwan’. Ms. Chen Jung from the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge followed suit with the presentation of her project on ‘Building pathways toward fatherhood: transnational reproduction of Taiwanese gay men’, before Ms. Ellen Kao from the Institute of Political Science at Academia Sinica presented her ‘Analysis of the “Lying-flat” Generation under the Globalized Structure’. Mr. Pei Hao-Che from the School of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Southampton fit in neatly then with the presentation of his project titled ‘Looking for Changes in Homelessness: Voluntary-sector Practitioners and The Resilience Without Austerity in Taiwan’s Neoliberal Welfare State’.
On Thursday, 20 July, the programme was opened by Mr. Tuyuq Rabay aka Ho Yueh-Cho from the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at SOAS who introduced his research on ‘Learning gaga in the fieldtrip: the Development of Indigenous Identity in Atayal Schools, Taiwan’.
Apart from the project presentations, the workshop also featured contributions from the side of the ERCCT itself. ERCCT Director Prof. Gunter Schubert introduced the center’s objectives and programmes on the afternoon of the first day. On Tuesday afternoon (18 July) Ms. Paula Silvetti, an experienced city guide took the participants to a city tour centering on the history and the most picturesque historical buildings of Tübingen University and city. The following punting boat tour on the Neckar River provided for a very relaxed end of the day. ERCCT team members and fellows briefly presented their individual research projects on Thursday morning. A group discussion on ‘Taiwan’s geopolitical condition’ generated very interesting, insightful dialogue. The social programme featured a visit to Hohenzollern Castle (20 July, afternoon) and to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart on Friday, 21 July, before the workshop was closed with a cheerful dinner at the Castle of Hohenentringen.

Taiwan Europe Connectivity Workshop 2022

TECW 2022

After two years in which the pandemic impeded real on-site workshops in Tübingen, the ERCCT was happy to continue our series of workshops for young scholars with the Taiwan Europe Connectivity Workshop held from 11 to 15 July, 2022 in Tübingen.
The event brought together eight young external Taiwan scholars based in Europe and Taiwan as well as ERCCT visiting fellows and visiting scholars staying at the ERCCT in July, namely: Isabelle Cheng, Yu Ssu-Han, Huang Yin-shan, and Karoline Buchner. Apparently, a good mixture, as participants presented and discussed very interesting projects on a high level at the lovely venue in University Guesthouse at Lessingweg 3.
The ERCCT and workshop participants were honored by the presence on Monday, 11 July, of Mrs. Yu Shu-chi, the director of the administrative division of the Taipei Representative Office in the Federal Republic of Germany, who addressed workshop participants in an opening message stressing the importance of understanding Taiwan as a vital player in the international community of democracies and market economies.
The first external participant to talk then was Dr. Wang Tao from the Department of Politics at the University of Manchester, who presented his project on local politicians’ constituency service ‘Weddings, Funerals, and Errands: How Guanxi Serves Democracy’, followed by Ms. Hou Ying-Chun, Ph.D. candidate at the Bartlett School of Planning at University College London, speaking about ‘Community-led planning reforms in developmental-state cities? A study of marketisation of planning systems and changing understandings of communities in Taipei, Taiwan’, and ERCCT Visiting Fellow Huang Yin-Shan, Ph.D. student from the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies at National Chengchi University, who presented her paper titled ‘China’s Submarine Cable Development in the Indo-Pacific: A Geopolitical Perspective’.
On Tuesday, 12 July, Max Dixon, Ph.D. student from the School of Area Studies, History, Politics and Literature at the University of Portsmouth, made the start, delivering his presentation on “Cycles of Instability’: Japanese perceptions of Chinese assertiveness in Hong Kong and Taiwan, 2019-2020.’ Next in line was Ms. Lin Yung from the Department of Governance and Global Affairs, Leiden University, posing the question ‘How Has the CoviD-19 Crisis Challenged East Asia Security and Conflict Resolution?’, followed by ERCCT Visiting Fellow Yu Ssu-Han, Ph.D. candidate from the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science, who presented her doctoral research project under the title ‘Mediating democratic politics: generational understanding of democracy and identification with Taiwan’. Ph.D. student Mayya Solonina from the Department of Sinology at the University of Trier then rounded off day two with the presentation of her research project on ‘Government and Media othering in Taiwan during COVID-19’.
The third workshop day was mainly dedicated to the migration studies field, and opened by Mrs. Felicitas Wiji Lestari Dhont, Ph.D. student in the Southeast Asian Studies Program of National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, speaking about ‘Indonesian Migrant Workers in Taiwan during the Pandemic: Government Policy, Access to Information and Language Barriers’. ERCCT Visiting Scholar Dr. Isabelle Cheng from the School of Area Studies, History, Politics and Literature at the University of Portsmouth followed suit with ‘Disease, Temporality, and Inequality: Sanitising Foreign Bodies and Protecting Public Health in Taiwan’, before Dr. Kristina Kironska from Palacky University in Olomouc presented her forthcoming research paper ‘Formosa as a safe haven? Taiwan’s public opinion on potential asylum mechanisms’. Topic-wise a bit of an outlier in the migration panel, but no less enlightening was the fourth presentation of the day, namely, Joso Fatimaah Menefee, Ph.D. student from the International Institute of Korean Studies at the University of Central Lancashire, who presented her doctoral research under title ‘Gastrodiplomacy in Contemporary International Relations of Asia Everyday Nationalism: Gastronomic Campaigns of Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Japan’.
On Thursday, 14 July, then ERCCT Short-Term Resident Fellow Karoline Buchner from the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Freie Universität Berlin gave a presentation of her Ph.D. research project, titled ‘Cultivating partnerships – Chinese medicine as a form of public and everyday diplomacy under Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy’.
Apart from the project presentations, this first ERCCT Taiwan Europe Connectivity Workshop also featured contributions from the side of the ERCCT itself. ERCCT Director Prof. Gunter Schubert introduced the center’s objectives and programs on the afternoon of the first day. On Tuesday afternoon (12 July) Tübingen-educated historian Dr. Fabian Fechner from the Institute of History at the distance University Hagen took the participants to a city tour centering on the history and co-evolution of Tübingen University and city. The following punting boat tour on the Neckar River provided for a very relaxed end of the day. Prof. Schubert also talked about ‘Cross-Strait’ studies as a new research field’ on Wednesday afternoon, ERCCT team members and fellows briefly presented their individual research projects on Thursday morning. A roundtable on ‘The war in Ukraine and what it means for Taiwan’ reminded everyone of the grim geopolitical realities of our time and generated an interesting, insightful discussion. A visit to Hohenzollern Castle (14 July, afternoon) and to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart on Friday, 15 July, were undertaken, before the workshop was closed with a peaceful dinner at the Castle of Hohenentringen.

Young Scholars Workshop 2021

The Young Scholars Workshop 2021 was successfully hosted online on Friday and Saturday, July 9 – 10.
The programme, which had to be a shortened one due to the online format and time zone differences, was made up of project presentations and research papers by four young scholars, two from Europe and two from Taiwan, a lecture on publishing for early-career scholars and a roundtable discussion on the question: “Is Taiwan ready to face a belligerent China?”
Opening the programme, after some welcoming remarks by ERCCT Director Prof. Gunter Schubert, at 9:40 Central European Time and 15:40 Taiwan Time, was Chou Szu-Nuo 周思諾from the Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies at the University of Ottawa, introducing her Ph.D. research on the lives and memories of the first generation of mainlander women in Taiwan. Both EATS General Secretary Dr Isabelle Cheng (School of Area Studies, History, Politics & Literature, University of Portsmouth) and Dr Lara Momesso (School of Humanities, Language & Global Studies at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston) discussed the paper very constructively.
Next, Dr Julia Marinaccio from the Department of Foreign Languages (Chinese Studies) at the University of Bergen, Norway, talked about her research project on the lack of an absentee-voting system in Taiwan and Taiwan’s overseas voters. Prof. Jonathan Sullivan and Prof. Wu Chung-li 吳重禮 gave valuable advice on the project.
The first day was then concluded by Prof. Lan Pei-Chia 藍佩嘉 (Dept. of Sociology at National Taiwan University), who gave a lecture on academic publishing for young scholars. Giving very practical and useful advice to the workshop participants, Prof. Lan focused on how to make a Ph.D. thesis into a published book. In the ensuing discussion ERCCT Director Prof. Gunter Schubert also considered strategies for publishing journal articles and the value of book chapters.
The second day started with the research paper presentation by Dr Chang Chia-Chien 張珈健 from the Graduate Institute of International Politics at National Chung Hsing University about the causation of trade wars and the recent trade war between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China in particular. In his analysis, Dr Chang combines the domestic factor of socio-economic inequality with the international factor of faltering hegemony. Prof. Saša Istenič Kotar (Department of Asian and African Studies at the University of Ljubljana) and Prof. Chris Hughes (London School of Economics and Political Science) kindly acted as commentators.
Leon Kunz from SOAS continued the programme with his paper on different practices of democratic deliberation in the Sunflower Movement, arguing for a distinction between strategic deliberation as exemplified by the DStreet series of public forums taking place just outside of the Legislative Yuan and prefigurative deliberation like the more radically oppositional Liberation Forum or the Big Intestine Flower deliberations. Prof. Ho Ming-sho 何明修 (Department of Sociology at National Taiwan University) and Dr Malte Kaeding (Department of Politics at the University of Surrey) discussed the paper constructively regarding both its content and possible publication.
The final roundtable discussion gathered together Prof. Chris Hughes, Prof. Leng Tse-Kang 冷則剛 (Institute of Political Science, Academic Sinica), Prof. Lin Thung-hong 林宗弘 (Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica), and Prof. Shelley Rigger (Political Science, Davidson College) to discuss a question, which Prof. Schubert raised through relating the impressions he gained in Taiwan earlier this year when Chinese naval manoeuvres and incursions into Taiwan’s Aerial Defense Identification Zone became more and more frequent, yet most of Taiwanese society displayed an attitude of indifference toward China’s menacing gestures. The question thus was whether Taiwan is ready to face a belligerent China.
Various perspectives were taken by the panellists: Apparent indifference or unwillingness to engage in military action may be just due the fact that an actual attack does not yet seem imminent and there may well be a sudden rise of fighting spirit if or when war really is on the doorstep. But willingness to fight to defend Taiwan may also be proven to be just wishful thinking, as Taiwan’s military capabilities are no match for the PRC’s, if Taiwan is not supported by foreign powers. Accordingly, the perspective was then also broadened to emphasize that in terms of military readiness, Taiwan cannot wait until war comes, but needs to consider whether its democracy is sufficiently robust to forge a consensus on defence, Taiwan has to rethink the distribution of the national budget in regard to national security, and needs to reform its military education system to make it more attractive for capable young people to join, it also needs to include other countries in Taiwan’s defence in a comprehensive sense. Keeping in mind that it is the military who would have to go to battle in the case of an actual attack, unwavering support for the armed forces from broader society is also an important factor for Taiwan’s defence readiness. Also important, yet difficult, is the question of how to measure the will to fight. Analogies maybe useful here, it was said, and the issue of climate change may serve as an example: If too little attention is paid to climate change, then the situation may turn out to be very dangerous in the end, but if one faces it with too much panic, then policy deliberation may be ineffective.
These expert opinions were followed by a discussion with the audience before this year’s ERCCT Young Scholars Workshop was concluded with an expression of gratitude from Prof. Schubert towards all those who have contributed to the event.

Young Scholars Workshop 2019

CCKF-ERCCT Director Prof. Dr. Gunter Schubert

YSW 2019 Participants in the Black Forrest

As one of the summer semester's highlights, the ERCCT hosted its 7th Young Scholars Workshop from July 1 to 6, 2019. Our externally invited participants gathered at Hotel Fritz Lauterbad in the nice Black Forest town of Freudenstadt on Sunday, June 30, joined on Monday morning, July 1, by those scholars and fellows, who were already staying in Tübingen, namely: Mark Henderson, Lan Pei-Chia, Chu Jou-Juo, Tommy Kwan, Liu Ya-Chun, Lu Chien-Chih, and Chen Yu-Lan.

The presenations in Freudenstadt were grouped into a panel on Cross-Strait and cross-border Issues, which included "Political Ideology and International Relations in Taiwan" by Chen Rong of the Department of Psychology at National Taiwan University, "Making Money and Everyday Geopolitics: Cross-border ‘Talent Fostering’ in Urban China" by Liu Hui-chun of the Department of Geography at University College London, "The Enthusiasm for Studying in China: The Study and Life Experience of Taishang Schools’ Students, and the Effects on Their Choices of Higher Education" by Yuan Yung-chen of the Institute of Sociology at Academia Sinica, and "Taiwan-Myanmar Relations Within the Framework of the New Southbound Policy" by Kristina Kironska of the Cental European Institute of Asian Studies; one panel on Taiwan Society and Social Movements, which included "Land and Democracy: Land Expropriations, Protests, and Votes in Taiwan Democracy Transiting Process" by Fu Wei-Che of the Institute of Sociology at National Tsing-Hua University, "Fabricating ‘Parisian seduction’ in Taiwan. A sociological view of cultural fantasy as intimate commodities" by Chen Wei-Ping of the Department of Sociology at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales, "Prosperous Coffee Shops in Semi-Periphery Taiwan: Taste, Crafts, and Service Encounter" by Kao Tzu-Yi of the Graduate Institute of Sociology at National Taiwan University; and one panel on Climate Change and Energy Politics including "Altruism or Self-Interest? Understanding the Voluntary Climate Policy Making in Taiwan" by Chen Milan of the School of Governance at Technical University of Munich, and "Citizens’ Power Plants in Taiwan: Driving Forces from Bottom-up and Top- Down" by Huang Hui-Tzu of the LIFT Program, Ministry of Science and Technology. The academic part was rounded out by the presentation of ERCCT Short-Term Resident Fellow Liu Ya-chun ("Translating Transitional Justice into Chinese-speaking contexts") and ERCCT Visiting Fellow ("Considering New Copyright Reforms in the Mandarin Music Market: Assessing How the Collective Management and Licensing System Affords Economic Incentives for Creators"), after which ERCCT-Director Prof. Gunter Schubert gave an introduction of the ERCCT.

Presenters will submit their re-edited papers for publication on the publications section of this website.

The intense panels in Freudenstadt were mixed with an interesting guided city tour as well as a trip to the nearby Alpirsbach beer brewery. In Tübingen, participants had the opportunity to discover the famous historical city center, explored the Hohenzollern castle near Hechingen, and attended a screening of the Hong Kong film "Ten Years" at the China Centre Tübingen.

We are grateful to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their generous support of the workshop.

Young Scholars Workshop 2018

From July 2 to 8, the European Research Center on Contemporary Taiwan (ERCCT) held its sixth Young Scholars Workshop in Bad Urach and Tübingen, Germany. From the large number of applications, twelve young scholars from Europe and Asia were selected to present their PhD or postdoc projects and discuss them together with ERCCT Fellows and Visiting Scholars.

The presentations of the first conference day focused on Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. Papers presented by Dr. Lan Hsiaping (China University of Political Science and Law), Lin Hsien-ming (National Sun Yat-sen University), Sung Yu-hsien (National Sun Yat-sen University), Yang Dai-ying (University College London) and Chien Ker-wei (University of Essex) discussed various aspects of the policy’s effects on international student exchange between Taiwan and its partner countries.

The next day’s session on Civil Liberties and Protest Movements featured papers on Taiwan’s press freedom by Dr. Huang Jaw-nian (Tamkang University), on Human Rights Diplomacy by Su Fang-ying (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg), on body politics in the Sunflower and Umbrella movements by Dr. Chen Li-ning (National Taiwan Normal University), on local foreign direct investment in Taiwan’s major cities by Mark Henderson (National Chengchi University) and on war commemoration in Taiwan by Dr. Wu Che-liang (National Tsing Hua University).

On the final day of presentations, Tang Qin (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) presented her paper on institutional changes of cross-Strait relations, followed by Anson Sung-lim Park (National Chengchi University) criticizing theoretical approaches to the history of the international order in East Asia. Current ERCCT Visiting Fellow Liu Kuo-Yi completed the workshop with her presentation on refugees and Global Governance.

After the first day of presentations, Professor Emerson Niou from Duke University joined Professor Gunter Schubert and Assistant Professor Tseng Yu-chin from Tübingen for a roundtable to discuss Taiwan’s New South Bound Policy. Their inputs were followed by a lively discussion as all workshop participants took part in the controversial debate about the challenges and opportunities of this initiative.

As always, the workshop was complemented by a variety of social and cultural activities. These included a hike to the waterfall near Bad Urach, city tours in Bad Urach and Tübingen as well as visits to the Castle Hohenzollern and the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart.

Up-coming event: Young Scholars Workshop 2018

The Young Scholars Workshop 2018– certainly one of the highlights among this summer semester’s events at the ERCCT – will begin in a just a few days. This year's workshop, which is generously supported by the Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been announced under the headline of "Taiwan’s New South Bound policy: Building Strength and Overcoming Weakness".

As Dr. Stefan Fleischauer has finalized preparations, the CCKF-ERCCT team and fellows are now ready and excitedly looking forward to the event, which this year takes place in the lovely and architecturally very interesting Haus auf der Alb (House in the Suebian Jura) in Bad Urach.

We will depart on July 2, to meet and welcome the invited Young Scholars Dr. Lan Hsiaping (China University of Political Science and Law); Lin Hsien-ming (National Sun Yat-sen University, Institute of Political Science); Sung Yu-hsien (Nat. Sun Yat-sen University, Institute of Education); Yang Dai-ying (University College London); Chien Ker-wei (University of Essex); Dr. Huang Jaw-nian (Tamkang University); Su Fang-ying (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg); Dr. Chen Li-ning (National Taiwan Normal University); Henderson, Mark (National Chengchi University); Dr. Wu Che-liang (National Tsing Hua University); Tang Qin (Ruhr Universität Bochum, Fakultät für Ostasienwissenschaften); Park, Anson Sung-lim (National Chengchi University, Department of Political Science).

Apart from presentation and discussion of the participants' academic papers, the programme features a guided city tour through the picturesque little town of Bad Urach, a dinner Barbecue, a guided city tour in Tübingen, a visit to the castle of Hohenzollern, a gondola ride on the Neckar River, and a visit to the Mercedes-Benz Museum.

We wish all participants a safe journey to Bad Urach!

Young Scholars Workshop 2017

Successful Fifth Edition of the Young Scholars Workshop 2017

Already a stalwart of our regular activities, the Fifth Young Scholars Workshop 2017 on “Taiwan in the Global Arena” took place in Freudenstadt and Tuebingen between 2 and 7 July, 2017. The CCKF-ERCCT again invited a dozen young European and Taiwanese scholars to discuss their research projects with leading Taiwan scholars Prof. Chen Lu-Huei, Prof. Yang Wanying, Prof. Hu Shaohua and Prof. Sasa Istenic as well as with ERCCT director Prof. Gunter Schubert and ERCCT Fellows. Panels on Cross-Strait Issues, Taiwan and Japan, the New Southbound Policy, Taiwan’s Security Issues and East and Southeast Asia's Island Conflicts were on the workshop agenda. Academic exchange was accompanied with some touristic activities such as the group picture below indicates with our visit to the beautiful Hohenzollern castle south of Tuebingen.

We would like to thank all participants for a memorable week, hope they will be able to advance their academic work through the feedback from the workshop, we also expect they will have established new networks with other participants that they can cherish and develop in the future.

YOUNG SCHOLARS WORKSHOP 2017 TO BEGIN IN ONLY A FEW DAYS

The Young Scholars Workshop 2017 – certainly one of the highlights among this summer semester’s events at the ERCCT – will begin in a just a few days. This year's workshop has been annnounced under the headline of "Taiwan in the Gloibal Arena". As CCKF-ERCCT Co-Managing Director Dr. Stefan Fleischauer has finalized preparations, the ERCCT team and fellows are now ready and excitedly looking forward to head to Freudenstadton Sunday, July 2, to meet and welcome the invited Young Scholars Mr. Raoul Buenskoek (National Taiwan University, Dep. of Political Science), Dr. Chiu Yi-hung (Nat. Chiao Tung University, Center of General Educatio), Mr. Hiyane Ryota (National Taiwan University, Department of Political Science), Hsiao Ling-yu (University of Cambridge, Faculty of Human, Social, and Political Sciences), Dr. Hsueh Chia-Ming (UC Berkley, Center for Studies in Higher Education), Mr. Huang Chia-Yuan (Univ. College London, Dep. of Geography), Ms. Kabinawa Luh Nyoman Ratih Wagiswari (Bina Nusantara University, International Relations Department), Dr. Lara Momesso (Centre for European and International Studies Research, Portsmouth University), Mr. Pitut Pramuji (National Chengchi University, Asia Pacific Studies), Dr. Yu Hsin-Lun (School of Ethnology and Sociology, Inner Mongolia University), and Mr. Zhu Yi-Fei (Freie Universitsät Berlin, Graduate School of East Asian Studies) alongside a number of Visiting Scholars, namely Prof. Chen Lu-Huei (National Chengchi University, Department of Political Science), Prof. Hu Shaohua (Wagner College, Government & Politics Department), and Prof. Saša Istenič (University of Ljubljana, Dep. of Asian and African Studies). Additionally, Mr. Ye Xiaodi (National Taiwan University, Department of Political Science), will also come to Freudenstadt to take part in the workshop and join the ERCCT as a Visiting Fellow until July 27^th. We are also honored that Director General Hsu Tsong-Ming from the Taipei Representative Office in the Federal Republic of Germany, Munich branch office, has accepted our invitation to visit us in Freudenstadt during the workshop to address participants with welcoming remarks.

In Freudenstadt, we will host the workshop at the beautiful hotel Zollernblick. Apart from presentation and discussion of the participants' academic papers, the programme features a visit to and guided tour in the centuries old brewery Alpirsbacher at Alpirsbach in the beautiful Black Forest, a guided tour through Freudenstadt, and a roundtable discussion panel, before going back to Tübingen to continue the cultural programme.

We wish everyone a safe journey to Freudenstadt!

Young Scholars Workshop 2016

YOUNG SCHOLARS WORKSHOP WAS HELD JUNE 26 TO JULY 2,2016

This summer the CCKF-ERCCT once again organized a Young Scholars Workshop, taking place in Freudenstadtand Tübingen between 26 June and 2 July, 2016. More than twenty young talents from Taiwan and Europe were invited and presented their PhD or post-doc research projects in order to discuss them with ERCCT Fellows. The topics covered a wide variety of social sciences and cultural studies and will be published in the publicationssection of this website. The young scholars also were able to enjoy profound commentary by the CCKF-ERCCT director Prof. Gunter Schubert and NTU’s Prof. Huang Chang-ling, and Dr. Yu Yi-wen from Shanghai Jiaotong University.

The intense panels in Freudenstadt were mixed with an interesting guided city tour as well as a trip to the nearby Alpirsbach beer brewery. In Tübingen, participants had the opportunity to discover the famous historical city center, explored the Hohenzollern castle near Hechingen, and participated in the annual two-day Taiwan Documentary Film Festival.

Besides the publication, the CCKF-ERCCT staff is looking forward to keeping in touch with the participants, and wants to thank them for an intellectually as well as personally rewarding time.

2016.06.26-2016.07.02. FOURTH YOUNG SCHOLARS WORKSHOP

Panel 1: Cross-Strait Issues, Morning Session
Chair: Stefan Fleischauer

Wenger, Josh (NTU, Graduate Institute of National Development): “Cross-Strait Political Negotiation: Background and Exploration of the Prenegotiation Approach”
Dr. Tang, Yen-chen (NTU, Department of Political Science): “Guns and Votes: The Logic behind China’s Military Exercises in Taiwan’s Presidential Elections”
Wang, Qin (NTU, Institute of National Development): “China: New Patron of Taiwan’s Lo-cal Factions? The Transition of Taiwan’s PatronClient System”

Panel 1: Cross-Strait Issues, Afternoon Session
Chair: Stefan Braig

Tseng Yu-Chen (I-Shou University, Department of Public Policy and Management): “The Political Implications of Cross-Strait Youth Contacts”
Tsai, Michelle (University of Cambridge, Division of Social Anthropology): “Cross-strait Capitalism and Identity Politics”

Panel 2: Taiwan Issues, Morning Session
Chair: André Beckershoff

Wu Shianghau (School of Business, Macau University of Science and Technology): “The Analysis of Taiwanese People’s Satisfaction with the Government Based on Bayesian Quantile Regression and Rough Set Classification”
Dr. Wahn, I-liang (NCCU, Center for China Studies): “Trusting, Qualification, and sustain-able Consumption in Alternative Food Networks in Taiwan (and China)”
Dr. Lee, Ling-yee (Academia Sinica, Institute of Sociology): “Behind the Book Publishing Miracle of Taiwan: An Analysis of Bookdistribution Systems and Commerce Circuits of Publishing in Taiwan”

Panel 2: Taiwan Issues, Afternoon Session
Chair: Sascha Zhivkov

Tsai, Huiju (National Sun Yat-sen University, Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies): “Service Sector in Taiwan: An Overview”
Dr. Hsia, Chuan-Wei (Academia Sinica, Institute of Sociology): “The Genealogy of Ne-oliberalism in Taiwan: A Neo-Polanyian Approach”
Evening Session
Prof. Gunter Schubert, Prof. Huang Chang-Ling: Round Table Discussion: Recent De-velopments in Taiwan and Impacts for cross-Strait Relations

Panel 3: Best of the Rest
Chair: Sia Ek-hong
Prof. Huang Chang-Ling (Dept. of Political Science, National Taiwan University): “Re-served for Whom? The Electoral Impact of Gender Quotas in Taiwan”
van Bekhoven, Jeroen (NTU, College of Law): “The Incomplete Makeover: Securing In-digenous People’s Rights to Land and Selfgovernment in Taiwan”
Yu, Yi-wen (School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University): “To change or not to change: A survey of collective identity and political belief among mainland spouses in Taiwan”

2016.06.26-2016.07.02. Freudenstadt, Tübingen

Young Scholars Workshop 2015

THIRD ERCCT YOUNG SCHOLARS WORKSHOP: JUNE 21-28

From June 21-28, the ERCCT Young Scholars Workshop was held for the third time. From amongst a large number of applications, ten young scholars from Taiwan and Europe were invited to present and discuss their research. The workshop, which was also attended by participants from the ERCCT, was held at a venue in Freudenstadt from June 22-24.

In the second part of the event, the workshop participants were offered the opportunity to visit Tübingen University and the ERCCT, and partake in our center’s Taiwan Documentary Film Festival.