‘Keywording Taiwan’: Report of the 26th North American Taiwan Studies Association (natsa) Annual Conference, Online, 20–21 May 2021

Abstract

This report details the origination, organisation, and reflections of the 26th North American Taiwan Studies Association (natsa) 2020/2021 (2020 + 1) conference. The theme—‘Keywording Taiwan’—aims to identify core issues, historical turning points, critical populations, and fundamental theoretical arguments on Taiwan among transregional and interdisciplinary scholarship. We challenged scholars to synthesise decades of literature and, from there, offer cutting-edge and timely research to answer fundamental questions as well as effectively respond to the various injustices during this uncertain time. In this report, we discuss how a ‘keyword’ is not a fixed concept but a restless confrontation from within, as practices of deconstruction and recontextualisation that frame the recurring issues for Taiwan studies. We also discuss how we intentionally structured our conference to be more accessible, inclusive, and interactive. Lastly, we walk through our major reflections, concluding with unfinished conversations that foreshadow the theme of the next natsa conference—‘Taiwan Studies in Application’.