The 24th EATS Annual Conference at Jagiellonian University in Kraków on 17-19 June 2027

Conference Theme: Taiwan’s Journey from a Civic to a Cultural Nation 

Deadline: 30 October 2026 (for Regular and MA Panels)

Young Scholar Award: the deadline for submission is 15 November 2026.

Organising Institute

The conference will be organised by the Institute of Middle and Far East at Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

The Institute’s motto is “We teach to understand Asia and Africa”. Our mission is to acquire and transmit knowledge about the modern societies of these two continents. In an increasingly interdependent world, there is a need for specialists who understand the cultures and languages of the social groups inhabiting the two vast continents neighbouring Europe. These specialists must be able to comprehend the context of the political and economic processes taking place in Asia and Africa. The Institute’s curriculum covers a wide range of issues, such as conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, the cultural context of Islam, urbanization and migration, rival powers in the Far East, and popular culture in Japan and South Korea.

The Institute of the Middle and Far East offers seven fields of studies: five undergraduate programs (bachelor’s degree: Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, Korean Studies, African Studies, and Middle East Studies) and two master’s program: Strategic Studies on Asia, and Korean Studies conducted in English. The Institute’s community comprises more than 350 students, with around 100 students graduating annually with bachelor’s and master’s degree.

The Institute of the Middle and Far East at the Jagiellonian University places great importance on direct contact with the countries of interest. This is achieved through regularly organized summer schools and scholarships programs to partner universities in Asia and the Middle East. In Taiwan the Jagiellonian University is partnered with the NCKU, NCCU, NTNU, Tamkang, Tsing Hua and Fu Jen universities. Scholarship trips are an integral part of the curriculum for master’s degree programs. Additionally, the Institute’s students pursue their interests through participation in students scientific associations, such as the Far Eastern Students Association.

Partner institution

The Centre for International Studies and Development was established in 2019 at the Faculty of International and Political Studies in response to the need to internationalize the Jagiellonian University and create a space for the integration of Polish and international students.

The main goal of the Centre is to create a platform for the exchange of experience and for understanding the problems of the contemporary world. The ability to analyse the international environment allows the graduates to be unquestioned experts in the field of security, development, diplomacy, and international relations.

The starting point for creating the Centre was the launch of the International Security and Development programme, which has been a permanent initiative since 2018. Apart from the on-going initiative of ISAD, an International Relations and Public Diplomacy programme was created together with the University of Siena with the support of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange; an MA in Political Ideas in a Digital Age programme has also launched. This project was established thanks to multilateral cooperation between four universities – Jagiellonian University in Krakow and its MA in International Security and Development programme, CY Cergy Paris University, The Political Institute of the Catholic University in Lisbon and The Francisco Marroquín University in Guatemala.

Conference Theme

Taiwan’s Journey from a Civic to a Cultural Nation 

The year 2027 marks the 40th anniversary of the end of the martial law period in Taiwan. The end of martial law was one of the milestones of Taiwan’s transition from autocracy to democracy. While the process of transition has been predominantly political, profound cultural changes have also occurred.  

After the end of martial law, censorship was gradually abolished, and laws regulating the mass media were liberalised. This liberalisation first led to a rapid growth in new publications and press titles and, in the following decades, to the emergence of new radio stations, TV stations and channels, and, finally, online media. Today, Taiwan is widely regarded as having one of the freest media environments in East Asia.

In the following decades, after the democratic elections in which the Democratic Progressive Party became the governing party, the pan-China school curriculum was gradually changed to one more focused on Taiwan. The use of local languages, both southern Chinese languages such as Hoklo and Hakka and the Indigenous Formosan languages, stopped being stigmatised and became accepted in public institutions.

New institutions also emerged and began researching “Taiwanese,” rather than “Chinese,” history, culture, and society. They also sought to promote and popularise the notion of “Taiwaneseness” as a distinct entity, rather than merely a particular variation of being “Chinese.”

While officially the Republic of China still has not changed the core provisions of its constitution, the Additional Articles have adapted the political system to the state’s current political reality. Regardless of the legal claims concerning its borders, territory, etc., the ROC has become a distinctly Taiwanese state de facto, if not de jure. Most of its citizens regard themselves as Taiwanese only, and those who claim a dual Taiwanese-Chinese identity simply acknowledge their cultural heritage.

The people of the Republic of China, as it exists within its current borders, form a nation – not only a civic one, shaped by political structures, but also a cultural one. During the conference, we would like to welcome contributions that explore the many dimensions of Taiwanese culture and its ongoing development. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, questions such as: What constitutes “Taiwanese culture” today, and how is it shaped by political, social, and historical forces? Who are the key actors—including artists, writers, cultural institutions, civil society organisations, and other communities—involved in its creation, promotion, and transformation? What role does the past, including the legacies of authoritarianism and democratisation, play in the construction and negotiation of Taiwanese cultural identity? We also invite papers examining the dominant themes and emerging trends across different forms of cultural production, including music, cinema, television, literature, social media, and other digital platforms. Contributions reflecting on the experiences of translators, curators, educators, and other mediators involved in communicating Taiwanese culture to international audiences are particularly welcome. Finally, we encourage comparative perspectives that consider Taiwan alongside other societies with histories of authoritarian rule and democratic transition, especially those in Central and Eastern Europe, in order to examine both shared experiences and distinctive trajectories in the development of cultural identities.

Submissions can respond to the below tentative penal suggestions, but are not limited to them: 

  • Conceptualizing Taiwanese culture and nationhood: cultural nationhood, civic and cultural identities, Taiwaneseness, identity formation, belonging, and competing conceptions of the nation 
  • Politics, democratization, and transformation: the process of democratization, localization, cultural policy, state-building, institutions, and civic participation 
  • Historical memory and the legacies of authoritarianism: martial law, transitional justice, collective memory, heritage, historical narratives, and commemorative practices 
  • Language, education, and policy: language policy, multilingualism, Indigenous and local languages, curriculum reform, education, and cultural reproduction 
  • Cultural production and creative industries: literature, publishing, cinema, television, music, performing arts, visual culture, popular culture, digital media, and creative practices 
  • Media, communication, and the digital public sphere: journalism, broadcasting, social media, online platforms, digital communities, public discourse, and cultural communication 
  • Institutions and actors of Taiwanese culture: museums, archives, universities, cultural organisations, civil society, artists, writers, translators, publishers, and cultural intermediaries 
  • Global Taiwan and cultural diplomacy: soft power, cultural exchange, diasporas, international audiences, and the global circulation of Taiwanese culture 
  • Plurality and diversity within Taiwanese culture: Indigenous peoples, Hakka, Hoklo, Mainlanders, new immigrants, migrant communities, gender, sexuality, religion, and multiculturalism 
  • Comparative perspectives – Taiwan and Central and Eastern Europe: post-authoritarian societies, democratization, censorship, dissident cultures, and comparative politics