Research Chair in Taiwan Studies

Formosa, Taiwan, Republic of China

What is the place of Taiwan in the world? What can we learn from Taiwan? 

The Research Chair in Taiwan Studies was created to produce and diffuse new knowledge about the politics, economy, external relations, history, society, languages, biology, and cultures of Taiwan. We study the island (Formosa) with all of its biodiversity; the society (Taiwan) with its ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity; and, finally, the state (Republic of China) with its institutions and foreign relations. 

 

Our Research Projects

Dr. Scott Simon and Dr. André Laliberté have a number of research projects about Taiwan. 

A selection of the projects and resulting publications will be highlighted in this section. 

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Austronesian Worlds: Human-Animal Entanglements in the Pacific Anthropocene

A SSHRC-funded research project led by Scott Simon. A global team of professors and graduate students in six countries ask the following questions: 

How do the Austronesian peoples of the Western Pacific inhabit lifeworlds of movement through mountains and oceans, with animals of sea, sky and land, amidst clouds, typhoons, and sunshine?

What wisdom have they acquired and shared through multi-species entanglements in often precarious conditions? What can they teach others about living together well in the Anthropocene – our present era of climate change and species extinction?

See details of our publication in Senri Ethnological Studies
Taiwan chair logo with a map of Taiwan and the name of the Chair in concentric circles
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Taiwan in the World

The Taiwan Chair, funded by the Ministry of Education in Taipei, provides a context to do research on the place of Taiwan in the world. Dr. Simon is currently working on Canada-Taiwan relations. Ph.D. student Richard Atimniraye Nyelade is studying Taiwan-Somaliland relations. 

See Simon's article on Canada-Taiwan relations here
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The Challenge of China: Protecting Human Rights and Democracy in Global Institutions

On June 2-3, 2022, the Taiwan Chair co-sponsored a conference as part of the 40th anniversary of the uOttawa Human Rights Research and Education Centre. The goal is to explore the influence of China on human rights issues in China, but also outside of China's borders. An edited volume is in process.

Opening remarks by Foreign Minister Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu

Upcoming Events

We plan to have a monthly in-person event on the uOttawa campus. Visitors can arrive by bus or on O-Train Confederation Line 1, getting off at the uOttawa stop. This campus map has parking instructions for those arriving by car. 

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Mobility, Entrepreneurship and Digital Connectivity: Migrant Women between China and Taiwan

presented with CIRCEM
(Lecture in French)

Speaker:
Beatrice Zani (McGill University)

Event Date:
March 29, 2023, 4:00pm-5:30pm

Location: FSS 4006

Learn about Beatrice here
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Human Rights and Social Justice - A Scholar Activism Approach

presented with HRREC
(Lecture in English)

Speaker:
Dr. Jolan Hsieh (Bavaragh Dagalomai) (National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan)

Event Date:
April 4, 2023, 3:00pm-5:00pm EST

Location: FTX 550

Learn about Jolan here
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Roundtable: Internationalization and Indigenization of Education: Contradiction or Confluence?

Followed by a book launch

presented with SOCIO
(Lecture in English)

Speakers:
- Dr. Jolan Hsieh (Bavaragh Dagalomai) (National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan)
- Dr. Rongo H. Wetere (Te Wananga o Aotearoa, the first Māori tertiary educational institution)
- Dr. Veldon Coburn (Algonquin of Pikwakanagan First Nation; University of Ottawa)

Event Date:
April 6, 2023, 11:30am-1:30pm

Location: FSS4004

Past Events

 

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In the Face of Chinese Ambitions for “Reunification,” What Future Is Possible for Taiwan?

presented with Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS)
(Lecture in French)

Speaker: Dr. Valérie Niquet (Foundation for Strategic Research, France)

Event Date: January 19, 2023, 4:00pm to 6:00pm EST

Location: FSS 4004

View Details
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Concert and Lecture for Taiwan's Peace Memorial Day

(Lecture in English)

Speaker: Harry Ho-jen Tseng (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada)

Event Date: February 23, 2023, 4:00pm

Location: Tabaret Chapel

Learn about Representative Harry Ho-jen Tseng here

Meet the Team

Dr. Scott Simon is the Chair in 2022-23. The Chair position rotates between Dr. Simon and Dr. André Laliberté. We also have Social Media Coordinator Wei-Hao Wu, as well as student and faculty collaborators.  

 

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Dr. Scott Simon 

Chair

Scott Simon (Ph.D., McGill University, 1998), is a socio-anthropologist trained in both disciplines (anthropology and sociology). Co-holder of the Chair of Taiwan Studies at the University of Ottawa, he has lived in Taiwan for ten years and returns annually for field research. He has also done field research in Japan and Guam. His research interests include Indigenous rights, development, the contribution of Taiwan to the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan’s international status, and Canada-Taiwan relations. He has written three books and numerous articles about Taiwan. He does policy-oriented research as member of the Centre for International Policy Studies and the Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa, and as Senior Fellow at Ottawa’s Macdonald-Laurier Institute

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Dr. André Laliberté

Chair

André Laliberté (PhD, University of British Columbia, 1999) is full professor at the School of Political Studies. Co-holder of the Chair in Taiwanese Studies at the University of Ottawa, he has lived in Taiwan four years and returns there on a regular basis for his research and teaching. He has also pursued field research in the People’s Republic of China, in Hong Kong, and in Singapore. He is the author of numerous publications on various aspects of democratic transition, civil society, and the evolution of nationalist sentiment in Taiwan. He does research on these issues in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region as a member of the Centre for International Policy Studies and the Centre for Human Rights Research and Education at the University of Ottawa, as well as a visiting scholar abroad.

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Wei-Hao Wu

Social Media Coordinator

Wei-Hao Wu is an M.Ed. candidate in the Counselling Psychology program at uOttawa. Born and growing up in Kinmen, Taiwan, he cares about Taiwan and its visibility and position in the world. Working as a psychotherapist, he found it intriguing how differently people from various cultural, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds view the world; those differences inevitably influence the way people interact with each other.

Currently living and starting his career in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, he never stops caring about his home country and is interested in Canada-Taiwan relations in the ever-changing era. Through Taiwan studies, he hopes that more and more people will see Taiwan and the challenges it faces and its resilience in the 21st century.

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