About the project
Leiden University, together with LUC, has enjoyed a very positive and productive relationship with the Republic of China (Taiwan) over the last few years including, for example, collaborations between The Modern East Asia Research Centre (MEARC) and the Bureau of International Cultural and Educational Relations (BICER) of the Ministry of Education. Leiden University has bilateral exchange agreements with many universities in Taiwan. Since 2011 LUC has also signed student exchange agreements with the College of Social Sciences, National Taiwan University. In 2013 Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture has generously funded a number of projects in Leiden University under the ‘Spotlight Taiwan’ scheme, with many of the activities taking place at LUC. The first year of this collaboration has deepened understanding of Taiwan in the Netherlands, generating new interest in the country among the wider community in Leiden and The Hague. Following the successful start to Spotlight Taiwan in 2013/14, this year’s project will extend LUC’s teaching and research on Taiwan and lay the foundations for a sustained focus on the country in Leiden University’s future teaching and research. Spotlight Taiwan will continue to illumine the politics, history, culture and art of the island for Leiden University and the general public in the Netherlands. We will explore the intersections of identity, history, culture, and art in the context of the contemporary Taiwan. Identity is often seen as being the most powerful and essential part of our political life. It allows individuals to define themselves. Since the early 1990s, people in Taiwan have increasingly claimed to be ‘Taiwanese’, and have sought international recognition of Taiwan’s status as an independent sovereign state. The politics of identity in Taiwan, whether cultural or national, fictive or real, have manifested themselves in various ways. These range from intellectual debates over the history of the island, to the performance of identity in everyday life such as eating habits, and to the expression of identity in the political arena, where political parties or movements strive to enrich their political projects with proposals on issues related to collective identification. |
What is Taiwan ?
Hear it from Taiwanese people. Expressed at the Leiden Taiwan Day, april 2015. Comic Books in Taiwan: Being Marginal
Jessie Kuo's look at Comics and Taiwan. Interview taken during May 2015 in the Hague. Taiwan Puppet Theatre
Dr. Robin Ruizendaal gives his insight on Taiwanese puppets. Interview taken during September 2015 in Taipei, Taiwan. |
This project is made possible by the Spotlight Taiwan grant from the Ministry of Culture, Republic of China, with additional support provided by Special Patron Dr. Samuel Yin and Leiden University College The Hague.
Website design and media creation by Strobe Pictures.