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North American Taiwan Studies Association 
30th Annual Conference

Toward an Otherwise in
Taiwan and Beyond 

June 30 - July 2, 2025

Stanford University

Call for Proposals

The NATSA 2025 conference continues our three-decade tradition of fostering a space for scholars focused on Taiwan across disciplines. Thoughtfully engaging with the rich foundation of existing scholarships on Taiwan, the NATSA 2025 conference seeks to uncover new possibilities through original and insightful inquiries into Taiwan. We invite all participants to consider questions including: What are alternative ways of knowing and alliance-making? How do we imagine networks of care at a time when multiple disparities remain unrecognized?  What are the tensions when we try to center Taiwan for transformational knowledge-building and world-making? 

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The NATSA 2025 conference invites participants to collectively work towards a vision of the “otherwise.” The “otherwise” is a flexible framework embraced by fields closely linked to social movements—such as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American, and Gender and Sexuality Studies. The NATSA 2025 conference strives to adopt this framework as a space for alternative approaches to care and critique, aiming to reconsider oppressive realities by investigating research, theories, and methods that challenge dominant epistemologies and unjust structures to envision new modes of scholarly engagement. Additionally, by cultivating dialogues between this framework and Taiwan Studies, the conference aims to foster collaboration among diverse voices and perspectives, extending beyond the confines of academic disciplines, nation-state geopolitics, and identity politics. In this spirit, we hope to recenter marginalized aspects of Taiwan and interrogate traditional disciplinary methodologies, boundaries, and narratives that have governed Taiwan studies.


We invite submissions from scholars, activists, and beyond, to engage broadly with the theme of “the otherwise,” drawing on their diverse fields, disciplines, and areas of expertise, including but not limited to:

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  • Care, Disability, and Transformative Justice  

  • Class, Labor, and Exploitation

  • Environment, Ocean, and Islands

  • Gender, Sexuality, and Subjectivity

  • Health Equity and Well-being 

  • Indigenous Re/insurgence, Self-Determination, and Self-representation 

  • Literature, Film, and Media

  • Linguistic and Language

  • Music, Art, and Performance

  • Migration, Intersectionality, and Political Economy

  • Political Communication and Election

  • Peace, Security, and Critical International Relations 

  • Settler/colonialism, Coloniality, and Decolonization

  • Science, Technology, and Infrastructure

Important dates (Eastern Time):
Submission Dates: November 15, 2024 - January 15, 2025 (Google Form will close on January 15 at 11:59 pm ET) 
Notification of Acceptance: March 7, 2025
Conference Dates: June 30-July 2, 2025
The Graduate Student Travel Grant Award will be available for application upon acceptance of the proposal.
​***Please note that the proposal must be written in English, and if accepted, the presentation must also be in English.
****Please note that submissions that are not in the correct format will not be considered.
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Proposal types and submission formats:

1. Individual paper

  • Abstract: 200-250 words (paper title and citations not included) 

  • Please include an introduction/motivation/research question(s), research method(s), and expected contribution/preliminary finding(s). 

  • If accepted, extended abstract and slide submission is required

    • Due date: June 2, 2025

Word Limits: 

  • Extended abstract: 1000 words 


2. Panel

  • Expected number of panelists: 3 to 4

  • Each panel is required to find its own Chair to moderate the panel. No discussant is required.

  • We encourage each panel to be as diverse as possible in terms of academic disciplines, backgrounds, regions, and institutions.

  • Panel description: 200-250 words 

  • Each individual paper abstract: 200-250 words (paper title and citations not included)

  • Please include an introduction/motivation/research question(s), research method(s), and expected contribution/preliminary finding(s). 

  • If accepted, an extended abstract or full paper submission is required.

    • Due date: June 2, 2025

Word Limits:

  • Extended abstract: 1000 words (max.)

  • Full paper: 3000-8000 words, excluding references

  • Papers submitted in the form of a panel cannot be resubmitted as individual paper proposals.

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3. Art projects

  • Bio of the applicant(s): up to 200 words

  • Proposal: up to 1000 words (project title and citations not included)

  • Please specify the following information in your proposal: 

    • Title

    • Description or narrative of the project and how it relates to the conference theme

    • Primary discipline: performance, multimedia, reading, art exhibition, or other

    • Original language (must provide English surtitles or subtitles for non-English works)

    • Estimated duration (up to 90 mins)

    • Medium: video, music, or other types

    • Tech requirement (setup)

    • Has this work been shown before? If yes, please specify where and when. 

  • If applicable, please also provide the following:

    • A video link to the full documentation of the performance

    • Minimum setup and rehearsal time required

    • Preferred venue seating capacity

  • If your proposal is accepted for performance, please note that the expenses of the project are not reimbursable. We do, however, plan on offering limited travel grants for accepted projects, subject to our budget availability. 

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4. Creative events or participatory workshops

  • Proposal: up to 1000 words (project title and citations not included). We welcome any projects relevant to the conference theme but not necessarily covered by the aforementioned categories of submission.

  • Please specify the following information in your proposal:

    • Title

    • Description of the project and how it relates to the conference theme

    • Expected number of participants

    • Detailed event or workshop agenda

    • Estimated duration (up to 90 mins)

    • Tech requirement (setup)

If your proposal is accepted for performance, please note that the expenses of the project are not reimbursable. We do, however, plan on offering limited travel grants for accepted projects, subject to our budget availability. ​


 *****Please note that all participants, including panelists, are required to register to attend the conference.


Review criteria:
Your proposal will be double-blind-reviewed by internal and external reviewers based on the four criteria below: 

  • Clarity of argument, theory, or concept (1-5 points) 

  • Proposal structure & flow (1-5 points) 

  • Feasibility, originality, and contribution (1-5 points) 

  • Relevance to our conference theme (1-5 points)


***Please note that all participants, including panelists, are required to register to attend the conference.

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