NTNU International Taiwan Studies Centre Podcast

Our guest today is Professor Fan Chia-chung (Elliott Fan), Professor of Economics at National Taiwan University. His research explores how work, family, education, and gender shape economic development, with particular attention to the experiences of women and their contribution to Taiwan’s economic transformation. In this episode he discusses how the unexpected result of an experiment he carried...

Professor Wu Tsong-min is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Economics at National Taiwan University and one of Taiwan’s leading economic historians. His work explores one of the most fundamental questions in economics: why do some societies become prosperous while others do not? His latest book, Taiwan's Economy: Four Hundred Years , traces Taiwan’s remarkable transformation from an agricult...

Should historians judge the actions of historical figures? Craig Smith, Assistant Professor at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, joins us to talk about his research on Taiwanese translators during the Japanese colonial era. He takes us beyond the simple labels of 'collaborator' or 'patriot' that were often thrown around, to help us understand the complexities of what life was like for t...

Professor Michael Hsiao of Academia Sinica and Head of the Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation tells the story behind the Encyclopaedia of Taiwan Studies. Having decades of experience in the field of Taiwan Studies, he gives a well-rounded picture of the state of the field and outlines just how ambitious this encyclopaedia project was, with 400 different authors and over 600 entries! Browse the online...

Professor Dafydd Fell from SOAS, University of London, discusses his brand new book 'The Twilight Years of Taiwan's Sugar Railways: The World's Most Extraordinary Industrial Railway.' He shares fascinating stories and experiences from the years that he spent investigating, documenting and photographing Taiwan's sugar railways! From waiting for hours in a remote location to get the perfect shot of...

Professor Ti-Han Chang from SOAS, University of London talks about her recently released, co-edited book "Reorientating Taiwan: Ocean, Selfhood and the Pacific." Themes include how the Pacific Ocean plays a key role in identity formation for Taiwanese, from ancient times right through to the present, as well as how art, literature, anthropology and ecology converge when looking at Taiwan from an o...

Have you ever heard of the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center? Professor James Lin from the University of Washington explains what this was while also sharing the backstory to his latest book. In doing so, he demonstrates how Taiwan's early development missions impacted Taiwan's own population in ways that echo through to the present. James Lin is a historian of Taiwan and its interac...

After a quick recap of its history, Professor Khóo Huī-Lû from NTNU discusses the idea that Taiwanese is a sleeping language that needs to be awoken! She gives some examples of how she looks to awaken the language in an everyday context, with a strong sense that the awakening of Taiwanese would actually benefit the revitalisation of minority languages (such as Hakka and Indigenous languages) in Ta...

Professor Lau Seng-hian from the department of Taiwan Culture, Languages and Literature at NTNU, discusses how 'Taiwanese' has evolved as a language, using its syntax to challenge commonly held assumptions about the makeup and structure of the language and revealing a new side to the character of Taiwanese. He also identifies the three key criteria for language-naming, arguing that according to in...

What is settler colonialism and how are its impacts still evident in the societies of the U.S. and Taiwan? As members of settler colonial societies, is it possible to speak up about some of the problems without appropriating Indigenous people's causes and knowledge? Professor Shih Shu-mei shares inspirational insights into the ways in which comparative literature can have a voice on these issues....

How does colonialism continue to impact Nigeria and Taiwan? Are there some similarities, or lessons that can be learnt from the experiences of these countries? Our host, Josh, talks with Michael Ugwueze about his time in Taiwan and some of the insights that he has when it comes to issues of trying to overcome the baggage of a colonial past. They also discuss China's deep presence in Africa and the...

Summer 2024 was the 400th anniversary of the birth of Zheng Cheng-Gong and saw a special celebration being held in his birthplace of Hirado, Japan. Prof. Ed Vickers, who attended the events and has been following the ways in which Taiwan, China and Japan all remember Zheng in different ways and for different reasons, fills us in on how last year's anniversary events played out and how he expects t...

When is a natural disaster really a disaster and who decides? Associate Professor of Geography at NTNU, Prof Mucahid Mustafa Bayrak discusses issues of climate change, political ecology and the some of the impacts of these two forces on Indigenous communities in Taiwan and beyond. Podcast from NTNU International Taiwan Studies Centre Newsletter Signup Form

A small island state, or a big ocean state? Prof. Niki Alsford and podcast host, Josh, discuss the concepts of land and ocean, how islands in the pacific are seeing a gradual reframing from 'small island states' to 'big ocean states,' and what impact this has on Taiwan. They also discuss how scientific data and indigenous knowledge can be combined, particularly in the field of environmental conser...

Professor Scott Simon, from the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies at the University of Ottawa, joined us in Taipei for a discussion on the inspiration behind his book 'Truly Human: Indigeneity and Indigenous Resurgence on Formosa.' We also caught up with the latest research that he has been carrying out and how it  contributes to the field of Taiwan studies. Podcast from NTNU Inte...

In this episode, Josh talks with Professor Michael Shi-Yung Liu from the University of Pittsburgh's History Department about some of the ways in which Japanese medical policy influenced Taiwan during the colonial period. Prof. Liu reveals some fascinating insights into how this unique moment in history has had long-term ramifications for people far beyond Taiwan, even into the present day.

Professor Ed Vickers from Kyushu University discusses some of the many ways in which Zheng Cheng-Gong (Koxinga) is represented, remembered and celebrated on both sides of the Taiwan strait and in Japan. Ed is a Professor in Comparative Education in the Department of Education, Faculty of Human-Environment Studies at the University of Kyushu, Japan. He is also the Program Director of the Taiwan Stu...