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Between Past and Future: IMAS 2021 Workshop in Tamsui

Edge research
Poster:Ms. Ching-Yi HsuPost date:2021-03-10
  【Article by IMAS】
On March fifth and sixth, the International Master's Program in Asia-Pacific Studies (IMAS) at National Chengchi University (NCCU) partnered with the Graduate Institute of Futures Studies (GIFS) and the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations (DDIR) at Tamkang University (TKU) to jointly conduct an academic workshop in Tamsui. The workshop, titled “Taiwan in the Asia Pacific: Between Past and Future,” included nine NCCU students who came from a diverse group of countries ranging from Burkina Faso to the Ukraine. The workshop was also attended by over one hundred TKU students. Participants enjoyed hearing different academic perspectives and learning about the rich historical heritage of Tamsui.

The workshop began with keynote speeches from Dr. Brett Benson and Dr. Eiichiro Azuma. Dr. Benson, who is a professor of Political Science and Asian Studies at Vanderbilt University, spoke about the development of Asian international relations since the Cold War and analyzed the future of Sino-Taiwan relations. Dr. Azuma, who is a professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania and the winner of 2020 John K. Fairbank Prize for East Asian History, used historical perspectives to explain the role of immigration in international relations. It was a pleasure to hear from these distinguished professors in person rather than from a remote video call.

Following the keynote speeches, students from both schools began their academic exchange. Presentation topics included semiconductor policy, vaccine diplomacy, cyber warfare, the history of Taiwanese international relations, and the ontological foundations of East Asian politics. In the end of the workshop, Francesca Sfriso represented IMAS and delivered closing remarks in which she emphasized the importance of interscholastic academic exchange and expressed deep appreciation for the efforts of TKU faculty members and students.

In addition to academic exchange, the workshop aimed to teach international students about the early links between Taiwan and the world. Students travelled to Aletheia University, where they met with English docents dispatched by the university. Together with the docents, IMAS student visited Oxford College, missionary accommodation, and the residence of George Leslie Mackay. By visiting these historical sites, IMAS students were able to learn about the role of Christianity in Taiwanese education and medicine during the nineteenth century.

IMAS students also learned about Western colonial legacy through their visit to Fort San Domingo. The history of the fort is a great representation of the tumultuous and fluid nature of colonialism in Taiwan; since it was established by the Spanish in the seventeenth century, the fort was successively controlled by the Netherlands, Koxinga, the Qing Dynasty, Japan, Great Britain, and the US before finally coming under Taiwanese jurisdiction in 1980.

Tamsui has rich colonial stories. Students stayed over-night in the TKU campus and enjoyed breakfast by the former a seaplane airport established by the Japanese in 1941. They also visited the landing point of the French Marines during 1884 Sino-French War and travelled by boat to the estuary where the French battleships deployed.

Dr. Philip Hsiaopong Liu, the director of IMAS, expressed his sincere appreciation for the assistance of DDIR and GIFS. Dr. Liu noted that IMAS has also cooperated with schools in Yilan, Keelung, and Matsu over the past two years. These opportunities allowed students to present their research and network at other academic institutions while learning about Taiwanese history, culture, and industry.

The IMAS program focuses on exploring the links between Taiwan, Asia-Pacific, and the world, and welcomes international students interested in joining the IMAS family.

 
Over a hundred students join the workshop.(       Presenters at gate of the conference hall. 
(Photo
Photo by IMAS)
                                                     by IMAS)
 
Professor Brett Benson from Vanderbilt                
Professor Eiichiro Azuma fom the University of 
 
University.(Photo by IMAS)                                  Pennsylvania.(Photo by IMAS) 
 
IMAS student Ferit Oguzturk presents his             
IMAS student listen to Hassan Mohamed Hussein
research, “What Taiwan can learn from Uyghur    present about Somaliland-Taiwan relations.
(Photo
Diaspora in Sino-Turkish Relations” 
(Photo by       by IMAS)
IMAS)
  
 
Francesca Sfriso delivers clothing remarks on      English docents from Aletheia University explain
behalf of 
IMAS (Photo by IMAS)                            George Leslie Mackay's contributions to Taiwanese
                                                                               education. 
 (Photo by IMAS)  
 
IMAS students and Aletheia University docents    IMAS students and Aletheia University docents
in the residence of George Leslie Mackay. (         in front of Oxford college. (Photo by IMAS) 
Photo by IMAS)  
 
IMAS student Jordi Mallol Sala, who researches  IMAS students learn about the different countries 
Spanish colonial history in Taiwan, explains the   that controlled Fort San Domingo. (Photo by IMAS)
histoy in Fort San Domingo.
 (Photo by IMAS)   
 
 IMAS students in front of the original cannons.    IMAS students at the landing point of the French 
(Photo by IMAS)                                                    Marines.(Photo by IMAS) 
 
 IMAS student Alex Hillier views an art instillation   IMAS students in the estuary of Tamsui.
that prompts viewers to imagine the arrival of the    (Photo by IMAS) 
French Marines. 
(Photo by IMAS) 
Last modification time:2021-03-16 PM 1:58

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