# Event Details

- **Event Name**: 2026 Taiwan Update Lectures
- **Event Start and End Date**: Fri, 04 Sep, 2026 at 12:30 pm – Fri, 04 Sep, 2026 at 05:00 pm (+12:00)
- **Event Description**: Join us for three talks by experts on different aspects of TaiwanAbout this EventSession One:Taiwan Studies in Australia: policy engagement and moral purpose in the shadow of a China-Taiwan warMark HarrisonAustralia's institutionalised understanding of Taiwan exists in the context of an increasingly belligerent PRC escalating its threats against the Taiwanese. Knowledge of Taiwan is therefore a concern of Australian policy-making, yet in national discourse it remains constrained by questions of defence capabilities and alliance politics. Preparedness requires deeper Taiwan knowledge, able to recognise a crisis, define its thresholds, and understand what is at stake and for whom. This gives Taiwan Studies a distinctive contemporary purpose as a form of critical national infrastructure.The talk assesses these themes through a 2025 study of Australian public and institutional responses to Taiwan Strait crises, conducted with John Fitzgerald, Kuo Mei-fen, Nathan Attrill and Marc Ablong, which found Australian understanding of Taiwan to be fragmented, event-driven and reactive, with Taiwanese-Australian communities distinctively marginalised.I then move beyond this instrumental purpose to pose a moral problem the field cannot defer. When the threat to Taiwanese society, to friends and colleagues, is material rather than notional, supplying knowledge and practising critique are not the only responsibility of Taiwan scholarship. I examine what it means for Taiwan Studies to take on a moral purpose, as the discipline through which Australia comes to know Taiwan and answers whether it is willing to defend its existence as uniquely Taiwanese.Session TwoA Young Democracy Threatened from Without and Polarized from WithinChing-hsin YuAs one of the model cases of third wave democratization, Taiwan’s progress toward democratic consolidation has attracted broad attention. Nevertheless, the development of democracy in Taiwan has not been without difficulties. Both external and internal challenges continue to test this emerging democracy. Externally, the security threat posed by neighbouring China, together with the complexities of contemporary international geopolitics, has led Taiwan to be widely regarded as a global flashpoint for potential conflict. These circumstances have compelled Taiwan’s political leadership to seriously consider how to strengthen national security and enhance societal resilience in order to respond effectively to potential external shocks and crises. Internally, increasing political polarization has made it difficult to achieve broad consensus on many critical policy issues. Furthermore, the existence of a divided government has contributed to persistent gridlock between the executive and legislative branches. Thus, long-standing political cleavages, deeply entrenched socioeconomic challenges, and increasing national security concerns have become intertwined and highly politicized. The interaction among these issues poses significant challenges not only for the government but also for Taiwanese society as a whole. This presentation examines these contemporary challenges facing Taiwan’s democracy. Drawing upon relevant academic research and public opinion survey data, it explores the political consequences of these developments and analyzes citizens’ attitudes toward the key issues confronting Taiwan today.Session ThreeTaiwan’s Tumultuous Past and the Conflicted National SelfRosemary HaddonThe Taiwan issue is a multi-faceted Gordian knot compounded by contested ethnic and political interests, the Cross-Strait relations with China, and unresolved legacies bequeathed from the historical past. Solutions to the issue seem more elusive than ever. All the while, domestic arguments rage and tensions soar. This talk shifts the focus away from contemporary politics to the tumultuous past and the legacy termed the “conflicted national self”. Its theme is Taiwan’s identity formation during the Nationalist (Kuomintang) era and post-Martial Law Taiwan. Stories and novels from xiangtu wenxue (native soil literature) and bentu or pro-Taiwan literature illustrate the way the identity evolved. Further concepts include hegemony, becoming (Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese), Orientalism, 228 (Ererba) and the White Terror (Baikong), and unification versus independence. The speaker draws on her experience living in Taiwan during the Nationalist era and her recent publication Taiwan’s Modern Identity Reimagined: Becoming Taiwanese (Routledge, 2026).Agenda🕑: 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMTaiwan Studies in Australia: policy engagement and moral purpose in the shadow🕑: 01:30 PM - 01:45 PMCoffee Break🕑: 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMTaiwan Studies in Australia: policy engagement and moral purpose in the shadow🕑: 02:45 PM - 03:15 PMAfternoon Tea🕑: 03:15 PM - 04:15 PMTaiwan’s Tumultuous Past and the Conflicted National Self🕑: 05:00 PM - 06:45 PMFilm Screening: The Sandwich Man 兒子的大玩偶 (Room Change to HMLT104)
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/wellington/2026-taiwan-update-lectures/100001996419206589
- **Event Categories**: art, literary-art, entertainment, fine-arts
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 0
- **Event Highlights**: 
  - Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes
  - Location: Room AM106, Alan MacDiarmid Building
  - Languages: English

## Ticket Details

- **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD

## Event venue details

- **city**: Wellington
- **state**: WG
- **country**: New Zealand
- **location**: Room AM106, Alan MacDiarmid Building
- **lat**: -41.289581
- **long**: 174.76736
- **full address**: Room AM106, Alan MacDiarmid Building, Kelburn Parade, Wellington, New Zealand

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: 2026 Taiwan Update Lectures
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/04b05e32e677b23bb8c76cc8ca4638f43051679afc591156f6d9e8f8a9c1d4db-rimg-w1200-h800-dc181828-gmir.jpg?v=1786864695

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is 2026 Taiwan Update Lectures being held?
  - **A:** 2026 Taiwan Update Lectures takes place on Fri, 04 Sep, 2026 at 12:30 pm to Fri, 04 Sep, 2026 at 05:00 pm at Room AM106, Alan MacDiarmid Building, Kelburn Parade, Wellington, New Zealand.
- **Q**: Who is organizing 2026 Taiwan Update Lectures?
  - **A:** 2026 Taiwan Update Lectures is organized by ANU Taiwan Studies Program & PSIR, VUW.
- **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me?
  - **A:** 2026 Taiwan Update Lectures is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Wellington, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If 2026 Taiwan Update Lectures sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast.

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