NTNU International Taiwan Studies Centre Podcast

15: Collaborator, Patriot or Something More Complex? Discussing Asian Translators With Professor Craig Smith

Should historians judge the actions of historical figures? Craig Smith, Assistant Professor at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, joins us to talk about his research on Taiwanese translators during the Japanese colonial era. He takes us beyond the simple labels of 'collaborator' or 'patriot' that were often thrown around, to help us understand the complexities of what life was like for these translators/interpreters and the multiple goals that they were pursuing during that period. Podcast from NTNU International Taiwan Studies Centre [https://www.itsc.ntnu.edu.tw/index.php/en/main/] Sign up for our Bimonthly newsletter to keep up with all things Taiwan Studies from across the world: Newsletter Signup Form [https://lb.benchmarkemail.com//listbuilder/signupnew?IkfHTmyPVq8KcJyDatXVgf5pwVnAjsSINcQtT9sfMNTtO5iNRn8gS049TyW7spdJ]

14: The Fifth Pillar of Taiwan Studies: Professor Michael Hsiao Tells the Story of the Encyclopaedia of Taiwan Studies

Professor Michael Hsiao of Academia Sinica and Head of the Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation tells the story behind the Encyclopaedia of Taiwan Studies. Having decades of experience in the field of Taiwan Studies, he gives a well-rounded picture of the state of the field and outlines just how ambitious this encyclopaedia project was, with 400 different authors and over 600 entries! Browse the online version of the Encyclopaedia of Taiwan Studies here. [https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/db/etso] Podcast from NTNU International Taiwan Studies Centre [https://www.itsc.ntnu.edu.tw/index.php/en/main/] Sign up for our Bimonthly newsletter to keep up with all things Taiwan Studies from across the world: Newsletter Signup Form [https://lb.benchmarkemail.com//listbuilder/signupnew?IkfHTmyPVq8KcJyDatXVgf5pwVnAjsSINcQtT9sfMNTtO5iNRn8gS049TyW7spdJ]

13: Documenting the Most Extraordinary Industrial Railway in the World! Professor Dafydd Fell From SOAS Discusses His Brand New Book

Professor Dafydd Fell from SOAS, University of London, discusses his brand new book 'The Twilight Years of Taiwan's Sugar Railways: The World's Most Extraordinary Industrial Railway.' He shares fascinating stories and experiences from the years that he spent investigating, documenting and photographing Taiwan's sugar railways! From waiting for hours in a remote location to get the perfect shot of a particular locomotive, to being invited on-board a sugar train for an unforgettable journey, listen in to hear what it was like as a British rail enthusiast with a foldable bike in Taiwan in the 1990's. Co-authored with Wang Hsiang, the book documents the incredible status of Taiwan's sugar railways that once boasted over 3000KM of track, the rapid demise through the 1990's and beyond, with some final seeds of hope for the preservation and restoration of some lines for the future. Professor Fell is holding book launch events in: Kaohsiung, Jan 3rd, 13:30 - 15:30pm, Takao Railway Museum (舊打狗驛故事館資料室) Taichung, Jan 4th, 14:00 - 16:00pm, Taichung (台中文化資產園區）衡道堂B05小禮堂 Taipei, Jan 8th, 19:00 - 21:00pm, Turn Left Bookshop 左轉有書（台北市鎮江街3-1號） Podcast from NTNU International Taiwan Studies Centre [https://www.itsc.ntnu.edu.tw/index.php/en/main/] Sign up for our Bimonthly newsletter to keep up with all things Taiwan Studies from across the world: Newsletter Signup Form [https://lb.benchmarkemail.com//listbuilder/signupnew?IkfHTmyPVq8KcJyDatXVgf5pwVnAjsSINcQtT9sfMNTtO5iNRn8gS049TyW7spdJ]

12: Publishing Three New Books in One Year! Professor Ti-Han Chang Discusses the Some of the Reorientations That We Need When Looking at Taiwan

Professor Ti-Han Chang from SOAS, University of London talks about her recently released, co-edited book "Reorientating Taiwan: Ocean, Selfhood and the Pacific." Themes include how the Pacific Ocean plays a key role in identity formation for Taiwanese, from ancient times right through to the present, as well as how art, literature, anthropology and ecology converge when looking at Taiwan from an oceanic perspective. She also discusses her recent move to SOAS and some of the exciting projects up ahead! Podcast from NTNU International Taiwan Studies Centre [https://www.itsc.ntnu.edu.tw/index.php/en/main/] Sign up for our Bimonthly newsletter to keep up with all things Taiwan Studies from across the world: Newsletter Signup Form [https://lb.benchmarkemail.com//listbuilder/signupnew?IkfHTmyPVq8KcJyDatXVgf5pwVnAjsSINcQtT9sfMNTtO5iNRn8gS049TyW7spdJ]

11: In the Global Vanguard, with Professor James Lin

Have you ever heard of the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center? Professor James Lin from the University of Washington explains what this was while also sharing the backstory to his latest book. In doing so, he demonstrates how Taiwan's early development missions impacted Taiwan's own population in ways that echo through to the present. James Lin is a historian of Taiwan and its interactions with the world in the 20th century. His book, “In the Global Vanguard: Agrarian Development and the Making of Modern Taiwan [https://www.ucpress.edu/books/in-the-global-vanguard/paper]” (University of California Press 2025), examines rural reform and agricultural science in China and Taiwan from the early 20th century through the postwar era, then its subsequent re-imagining during Taiwanese development missions to Africa, Asia, and Latin America from the 1950s onward. Podcast from NTNU International Taiwan Studies Centre [https://www.itsc.ntnu.edu.tw/index.php/en/main/] NTNU ITSC Newsletter Signup Form [https://lb.benchmarkemail.com//listbuilder/signupnew?IkfHTmyPVq8KcJyDatXVgf5pwVnAjsSINcQtT9sfMNTtO5iNRn8gS049TyW7spdJ]