Uni-Tübingen

2019 Event

Dr. Lara Momesso held public talk on social activism of marriage migrants in Taiwan and their husbands

On Monday, December 17, 2019, Dr. Lara Momesso, who is a Lecturer in Asia Pacific Studies at the University of Central Lancashire, but also an Associate Fellow and good friend of the ERCCT, fascinated her audience with a public talk on "Allying with patriarchy: the role of Taiwanese husbands in shaping marriage migrants’ civic activism in Taiwan", a topic that has so far been neglected by the literature on marriage migration in Taiwan. 

International Workshop on Taiwan under the First Tsai-Administration held Dec. 13-14

In cooperation with the University of Nottingham and with generous support from the Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Resarch Center on Contemporary Taiwan – A CCK Foundation Overseas Center (CCKF-ERCCT) at the University of Tübingen, Germany, from 13-14 December, 2019 hosted an international workshop on “Taiwan under the  first Tsai Ing-wen administration”. Internationally renowned Taiwan Studies scholars spoke on a variety of topics including the development of Taiwan’s political system, societal developments and conflicts as well as Taiwan’s foreign relations. The book to come out of this workshop will cover 15 topical chapters. The CCKF-ERCCT for its part hereby continues a tradition that started with our review of the Ma Ying-jeou administration. 

Young Scholars Workshop 2019

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.

 

2018 Event

EL OTRO FIN DEL MUNDO - ERCCT HOSTED CONCERT BY TWANGO

On November 30, 2018, the ERCCT hosted a concert by Twango, a Latin American-East Asian music ensemble consisting of taiwanese band leader Wu Ruei-Ran 吳睿然, japanese violinist Asayama Kaoru, Uruguayan bass player and singer Felipe Medina, and Argentian pianist Diego Collatti. The concert was organised in cooperationth with Mrs. Tsai Tsai-Wei of Hohaiyan e.V. 好海洋藝術, a cultural association for the promotion of Taiwanese performing arts in Germany. 

The programme of the evening was entitled El Otro Fin del Mundo 世界的另一個盡頭 and featured Tangos and arrangements of Taiwanese and Latin American traditional songs.

ERCCT HOSTED 13 TAIWAN DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL IN TÜBINGEN

On November 24 to 25, the CCKF-ERCCT hosted the 13. Taiwan Documentary Film Festival in cooperation with Arsenal Kinos Tübingen, who provided a wonderful venue. 

Saturday, November 24, was dedicated to the work of our guest, film director Tseng Wen-chen 曾文珍, who presented three documentaries from her rich oeuvre: firstly, "What Makes Love Last" 長情的告白 (2015), a documentary about carers for the elderly in Taipei, made for a very strong start, depicting with much warmth and empathy the everyday struggles of these dedicated people. Next was "Dream Hair Salon" 夢想美髮店 (2011) about female marriage immigrants and how they cope with an array of practical and emotional difficulties in order to build up their new lifes in Taiwan. Finally, we screened "Spring: The Story of Hsu Chin-yu" 春天 — 許金玉的故事 (2002) about the life of a victim of the White Terror, Hsu Chin-yu, who was imprisoned for 15 years, yet stayed true to her ideals, remaining an activist unitl very old age. 

The audience took the opportunity to enter into a lively discussion with director Tseng, thereby learning a lot about the background and the making of each film. 

Sunday's programme continued the focus on the White Terror with a screening of the 1995 feature film "Super Citizen Ko" by Wan Jen, telling the story of Ko I-Sheng, who had been imprisoned for 16 years in his youth, but lives to old age, remorseful about the execution of his friend, whose name he had told under torture. 

The ERCCT is grateful to Kino Arsenal for the smooth and successful cooperation! 

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.

ERCCT Hosted a Symposium on the Future of Global Taiwan Studies

In celebration of its 10th Anniversary, the European Research Center on Contemporary Taiwan – A CCK Foundation Overseas Center (CCKF-ERCCT) – hosted the Symposium on the Future of Taiwan Studies: the next steps to take on Friday and Saturday, June 22/23, 2018, at the Castle of Hohentübingen. 

Internationally renowned Taiwan Scholars from both the humanities and social sciences honoured the ERCCT with their participation. 

After some very thoughtful yet humorous welcoming remarks from Professor Bernd Engler, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Tübingen, Professor Shieh Jyh-Wey, head of the Taipei Representative Office to the Federal Republic of Germany in Berlin, and Professor Su Yeong-chin, representative of the European Regional Committee of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation, ERCCT Director, Prof. Gunter Schubert, offered a retrospective on the achievements of the center in its 10 years of promoting Taiwan Studies at the University of Tübingen. 

A most recent milestone for Taiwan studies in Tübingen was the establishment of the position of Assistant Professor of  Modern Taiwan Studies at the Department of Chinese Studies in April 2018. Dr. Tseng Yu-chin, who was appointed to this position and concurrently serves as ERCCT Co-Director, presented her vision of furthering Taiwan Studies in Tübingen and beyond at the symposium, her talk was entitled: “The Imaginations of Taiwan: How to Contest the Ambivalence of Taiwan Studies”. 

As South Korea has been very successful in promoting Korean Studies worldwide as well as at the University of Tübingen, there is certainly a lot that Taiwan could learn from South Korean Institutional Enhancement Programmes and Cooperation Experiences, a topic discussed by Prof. Dr. Lee You Jae from the Department of Korean Studies at Tübingen University. 

Following were a number of very inspiring position papers presented by our external guests: Professor Jonathan Sullivan from the University of Nottingham spoke on “Mainstreaming Taiwan Studies: Making the Case for a New Field”, Professor Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao from Academia Sinica reported on “Retrospect and Prospect for Taiwan Studies in Taiwan and in the World”, Professor Shelley Rigger from Davidson College reflected on “Liberating Taiwan from the Social Sciences”, and Professor Thomas B. Gold from the University of California, Berkeley, raised (and answered) the question “Is the Trump Disruption Providing an Opening for Taiwan Studies in the U.S.?” 

After a very merry conference dinner in a charming restaurant in the historical city center on Friday evening, the symposium continued on Saturday with the fifth position paper presented by Prof. Gunter Schubert, who shared his vision on “Strategizing the Recruitment of Taiwan Scholars at Western Universities. 

Finally, the symposium concluded with the discussion of a draft document for a “Manifesto on the Future of Taiwan Studies” to be presented at the 3rd World Congress of Taiwan Studies in the coming September.  

The ERCCT wishes to express its gratitude to the Munich branch office of the Taipei Representative Office to the Federal Republic of Germany, to the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, and to the Universitätsbund Tübingen e.V. for their generous support of this event. 

2018 EMERSON NIOU GAVE PUBLIC TALK AT ERCCT

On Thursday, June 28, 2018, Prof. Emerson Niou 牛銘實 from Duke University gave a pubic talk on "The China Factor in Taiwanese Politics" at the ERCCT, speaking to an audience composed of ERCCT research fellows, students of the M.A. programme on East Asian Politics and Society and from the Institute of Political Science. Talking very frankly from the beginning, Prof. Niou drew on his own pool of empirical research data on perceptions of China, stability and the future of cross-strait relations among the Taiwanese citizenship. 

Junior Professor Dr Tseng Yu-chin 曾育勤, the ERCCT's new Co-Director chaired the talk and thanked Prof. Niou for his contribution. 

2018 CCKF ANNIVERSARY LECTURE HELD IN TÜBINGEN BY PROF. SU YEONG-CHIN

In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, the CCKF-ERCCT in cooperation with the Tübingen China Centre hosted a public lecture by Professor Dr. Su Yeong-chin (蘇永欽, College of Law, National Chengchi University) at the Weltethos-Institut Tübingen (WEIT).

Prof. Su, who is a former Honourable Judge and Vice-President of the Judicial Yuan and who got is Judirical Doctorate from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, talked (in excellent german) on the topic Recent Plans for Reform of Constitutional Procedure in Taiwan, enlightening the numerous audience also on various aspects of the organisation, history, competences, work style etc. of the Judicial Yuan and its Council of Grand Justices.

The lecture was followed by a lifely discussion between Professor Su and the audience and, later on, a dinner reception at the CCT, during which Prof. Su, who is a member of the European Regional Committee of the CCK Foundation, delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of the Foundation. 

Our thanks for this wonderful evening go to Prof. Dr. Su Yeong-chin, to the CCK Foundation, Dr. Alisa Jones and the CCT team as well as the Weltethos-Institut Tübingen!

CONCERT WITH TRIO PIAZZOLLA AND CHEN CHUNG-SHEN, SUNDAY, FEB. 11, 2018

Magic Flutes of East and West - under this charming title, the ERCCT - in cooperation with Tübingen University's Institute of Musicology - will host a musical concert played by Trio Piazzolla (Heidelberg) together with Taiwanese flutist Chung-shen Chen on Sunday, February  11, 2018, at 5 p.m. at the Pfleghof (Schulberg 2, 72070 Tübingen)

The programme features pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Peter I. Tschaikowsky, Astor Piazzolla, Adolphe Adam, Klaus Hinrich Stahmer, Yang Chen, as well as Chung-shen Chen and Wolfgang Wendel of Trio Piazolla. 

Tickets are EUR 12.-, or EUR 8.- for students. 

2017 Event

ANTHOLOGY OF NEWLY TRANSLATED TAIWANESE LITERATURE LAUNCHED IN TÜBINGEN

On Monday, 23 October 2017, the ERCCT, in cooperation with the Deutsch-Chinesische Gesellschaft e.V. - Freunde Taiwans hosted the launch of an anthology of newly translated Taiwanese literature entitled "Kriegsrecht - Neue Literatur aus Taiwan" (Martial Law: New Literature from Taiwan). At the cosy venue of Café Haag, the editor, Dr. Thilo Diefenbach (Berlin), read and commented on sections from the translations of stories from the early times of Taiwan's martial law era to the year 2016, before entering into a very insightful discussion with Taiwan's highest diplomatic representative in Germany, Prof. Dr. Shieh Jhy-Wey, himself a prominent scholar of literature. The evening was topped off by the wonderful performance of Taiwanese songs by two young Taiwanese string players from nearby Stuttgart. 

The ERCCT wishes to express our gratitude to Prof. Dr. Shieh, Dr. Diefenbach and to Ms. Sophie-Caroline Zillessen of the Deutsch-Chinesische Gesellschaft e.V. - Freunde Taiwans for making this wonderful evening possible. 

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 27th. 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 ZollernblickApart 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!

2016 Event

2016.07.25. TAIWAN COLLOQUIUM: PROF. SHEN CEN-CHU 沈玄池

Jul, 25 2016

Prof. Shen Cen-chu, National Chung Hsing University, Gradaute Institute of National Policy and Public Affairs
Taiwan Colloquium Research Topic: Project on theoretical framing of macro-economic developments in East Asia

University of Tuebingen, Keplerstraße 2, 72074 Tübingen

2016.07.14. PUBLIC TALK: PROF. KUO CHENG-TIAN 郭承天

Prof. Kuo Cheng-tian, National Chengchi University, Political Science Department and Graduate Institute of Religious Studies
Lecture topic: “New Religious Nationalism in Chinese Societies”.

University of Tuebingen, Keplerstraße 2, 72074 Tübingen

2016.07.12. PUBLIC TALK: PROF. SHEN CEN-CHU 沈玄池

Prof. shen Cen-chu, National Chung Hsing University, Graduate Institute of National Affairs and Public Policy Lecture Topic: “Die Politik von Taiwans neuer Staatspräsidentin Tsai Ing-wen [The Policies of Taiwan’s New President Tsai Ing-wen]”

2016.07.01.-2016.07.02. 11TH TAIWAN DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL (TDFF 2016)

Location: University of Tuebingen, Brechtbau
Directors: Chen Lih-kuei 陳麗貴 and Lee Yung-Chuan 李泳泉, who will both attend the festival as invited guest directors.

1 July
14:00 Opening remarks
14:15 Taiwan’s Road to Democracy – Lee Teng-hui 臺灣民主化之路 – 李登輝 (Chen Lih-kuei 2006, 90 min.)
16:30 Immolation – Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Nylon Cheng 焚 紀念鄭南榕殉道20周年 (Chen Lih-kuei 2009, 20 min.)
16:55 Nimbus 帶水雲 (Huang Hsin-Yao 2010, 36 min.)
17:40 Discussion
18:00 Break
19:00 Feature Film: Parking 停車 (Chung Mong-Hong 2008, 106 min.)

2 July

10:00 Su Beng, the Revolutionist 革命進行式 – 史明 (Chen Lih-kuei 2015, 127 min.)
13:30 A War of Glory – A Chronicle of Fighting for the Taiwanese Countryside 捍衛臺灣鄉土紀事 臺灣環保聯盟20周年 (Chen Lih-kuei 2007, 60 min.)
14:30 Break
14:40 Turtle Island: Nostalgic Voices 龜山島 – 鄉愁對話錄 (Lee Yung-Chuan 1989, 20 min.)
15:00 Red Caution 紅色戒嚴 – 陳雲林事件紀實 (Chen Lih-kuei 2008, 30 min.)

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”

2016.06.24. PUBLIC TALK: PROF. HUANG CHANG-LING

Prof. Huang Chang-ling, Department of Political Science, National Taiwan University
Public Talk: “Remembering Dictators: The Politics of Bronze Statues in South Korea and Taiwan”