Taiwan has become a vibrant site for research on the changing relationships among humans, the natural world, and our built environment, an urgent topic in our current moment of climate change, pandemics, and rapid technological impact on the human condition. On October 20, 2023, the East Asian Studies Center held an IU-NTU workshop on . . . the theme, Rethinking Technologies, the Environment, and Human-Nonhuman Relationships through STS Research in and on Taiwan. Professors Chi-Mao Wang and Kuang-chi Hung joined from National Taiwan University and Professor Wayne Soon from University of Minnesota, together with three IU colleagues (Rebecca Lave, Jonathon Schlesinger, Mark Bauman) as discussants. Scholars working on topics of science and technology, the environment, climate, and medicine participated in an exciting conversation that ranged across disciplinary perspectives, time frames, and locations in Taiwan and North America. A morning workshop with graduate students introduced students from across the university to global perspectives on STS scholarship and collaboration possibilities given Taiwan’s vibrant research environment. With support from IU Global and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, the workshop and related events showcased how Taiwan helps us understand historical and emerging challenges facing diverse societies as they engage with and transform the world around them.
Dr. Sara Friedman and Dr. Fei-Hsien Wang
EASC blog Faculty contributors
Leave a Reply