(In) Visible Taiwan: conference opening

On Wednesday, 8 April 2015 at 12.45 p.m., the official opening of the conference "(In) Visible Taiwan" – The 12th Annual Conference of the European Association of Taiwan Studies took place in the Main Assembly Hall of the JU Collegium Novum. It is the first conference of the series organised in Poland. Previously, the conference has been held in London, Bochum, Paris, Prague, Madrid and Ljubliana, to name a few. This year's edition in Kraków was coordinated by Dr Bogdan Zemanek from the Institute of the Middle and Far East.

EATS conferences are aimed to promote Taiwan, facilitate cooperation between Taiwanese and European higher education institutions and popularise student mobility between Taiwan and Europe. The establishment of the European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS) was enabled by a Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation Grant to the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London in 2004.

The conference was attended by JU representatives and distinguished scholars from around the world. In his opening address,  Prof. dr hab. Adam Jelonek from the Institute of the Middle and Far East emphasised the importance of Taiwanese Studies in the academic activity of the Institute and wished the conference participants a fruitful and inspiring debate. Next, Chu Yeh-shin, Director (First Secretary) of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, expressed his gratitude to the organisers and wished the international guests a pleasant stay in Kraków. The scholarly part of the conference began with a keynote speech by Gary Rawnsley, Professor of Public Diplomacy University and Director of International Academic Strategy of the Aberystwyth University.

The conference will last until 10 April. For a detailed programme, click here.

fot. Anna Wojnar