International Center for Cultural Studies

CfP: The 26th NATSA Annual Conference (22-24 May 2020, at UC-Irvine), Submission Deadline 15 December 2019

2019-09-30

Call for Paper

The 26th NATSA annual conference – Keywording Taiwan – aims to identify core issues, historical turning points, critical populations, and fundamental theoretical arguments on Taiwan amongst transregional and interdisciplinary scholarship. As both a geopolitical margin of imperial orders and an economic hub between competing powers, Taiwan has witnessed diverse dynamism and key transitions on various levels. During the past quarter-century, Taiwan studies has contested heterogeneous historical experiences and generate productive dialogues across various disciplines and issues.

The act of “keywording Taiwan” challenges scholars to synthesize decades of literature and, from there, offer cutting-edge research to answer fundamental questions in studying Taiwan: how do keywords inform one’s positionality within a certain discipline? How does a keyword serve as a conceptual paradigm that articulates certain spatiality and temporality? How do keywords privilege some and leave others behind? Recognizing the limited applicability of existing dominant theoretical, epistemological, and methodological frameworks, keywording is an attempt to deconstruct, recontextualize and create frameworks to examine recurring issues for Taiwan studies.

This year’s theme is an attempt to facilitate interdisciplinary scholarship and invite new dialogues to the current framework of Taiwan studies. By structuring the discussion around keywords across disciplinary boundaries, we welcome panel submissions that examine a key issue from different and yet interconnected theoretical lenses or methodological approaches. We also aim to cross boundaries by examining the occurrence of both local significance and transnational relevance.

Lastly, it should be noted that a “keyword” can be defined inclusively and expansively, including words, phrases, symbols, and events not typically found in standard dictionaries. We encourage participants to define your world(s) using keywords. We welcome critical reflections on the conceptual presuppositions, historical contingencies, and theoretical grounds of Taiwan studies--perspective shifts that enable the field to meet with other marginal epistemologies.

Call for Artists
In addition to the conference paper call, we are also seeking proposals for art pieces that showcase one’s experiences as a Taiwanese American, as a Taiwanese in North America, or experiences with Taiwan. Selected artist(s) will be offered honoraria of $600 and invited to do a 15-minute performance/showcase of the art piece during the conference. The project aims at exploring “Taiwan” and “Taiwanese experiences in North America” through the lens of arts. By bringing this project into the conference, NATSA looks forward to providing a platform for non-scholarly approaches to studying Taiwan creatively. For more information, please see the call here: https://tinyurl.com/natsa20cfa or contact NATSA 2019-20 Program Directors (natsa.pd@na-tsa.org).

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