Introduction

The Taiwan studies field has seen refreshing development since the early 2000s. The establishment of the European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS) in London in 2004 kick-started a new wave of academic interest in the history, politics, society and culture of the little island republic that continuously faces ‘the shadow of China’. Even though the international community of Taiwan scholars has always been very small – especially compared to the much bigger flock of China scholars – it has made itself noticed in various ways since the inauguration of EATS. First of all, institutionalisation: New centres of Taiwan studies have been established throughout Europe, most notably the China Studies Centre at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), which started as a Taiwan Studies Programme in 1999, and the European Research Centre on Contemporary Taiwan (ERCCT) at the University of Tübingen in Germany, established in 2008. ¹ More centres and Taiwan-related programs were set up in Ljubliana, Lyon, Nottingham and Vienna, to name but a few. Second, teaching and research: Taiwan has become an object of inquiry for increasing numbers of young scholars working on their PhDs in Europe, and Taiwan-related courses are now integral components of China studies curricula in many European Universities. ² There is also a book series on Taiwan published by Routledge, which has developed very well so far. ³ Overall, it is fair to say that the Taiwan studies field is in good shape. Only the lack of teaching positions for Taiwan scholars, at least in terms of tenured faculty, is a problem that bespeaks a serious bottleneck for those emerging scholars who have chosen Taiwan as their focus of interest. ⁴