From October 16th to 20th 2024, Academia Sinica will participate in the 76th Frankfurt Book Fair and will showcase 15 of its recent publications at the venue as well as on the online Taiwan Pavilion, which includes academic research and popular science books. The range of topics includes the commercial documents of Dadaocheng’s Chen Yuanshun Firm in the early Japanese colonial period, Taiwan’s biological diversity in terrestrial, marine, and aerial ecosystems. In addition, the publications at the book fair will showcase work done in the fields of Taiwan studies, archival research, oral history, indigenous governance, religious studies, military studies, legal studies, political science, and biodiversity.
Since 1949, the Frankfurt Book Fair has been the world’s largest book fair and a hub for negotiating global copyright transactions. The book fair not only shapes global trends in books and digital publishing, but also focuses on the growing tendency for using artificial intelligence, online video platforms such as TikTok, interdisciplinary collaborations and commercial partnerships. At this year’s iteration of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Italy is the Guest of Honour. The Taiwan Pavilion, organized by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), will launch a series of activities under the theme “In Between”. The TAICCA seeks to use Taiwanese publications to explore from different perspectives how identities intersect and values changed during history.
15 Selected Academic and Popular Science Books: Showcasing Taiwan’s Leading-Edge Research
In the exhibition at the Taiwan Pavilion, there will be 15 featured books published by Academia Sinica to showcase outstanding contributions in research in recent years. In the field of Taiwan studies, The Trade Correspondence of Dadaocheng of Taipei: Chen Yuanshun Firm Series, Vol. 1 (1901-1904) presents the first transcription of the Tai-yi Firm Papers of Nagasaki that survived the atomic bombing in the Second World War. The manuscript includes the correspondence between the Tai-yi Firm and the Chen Yuanshun Firm, offering a glimpse into the trade and commerce in the early period of Japanese colonial rule between Japan and Taiwan in a multilingual style using Hokkien and Japanese, as well as commercial terms and jargon. In the reissued version of Picturing Taiwan: The Asahi Shimbun Press Photo Selections, a selection of 462 rare photographs from the Asahi Newspaper Stock-Photo Vault of Japan show the observations of a major newspaper about colonial Taiwanese society.
Oral history reflects the voices of different social strata, ethnic groups, and individuals, and enhances our understanding of history by using various perspectives. Exploring the Infinity of Knowledge: Reminiscences of Mr. Fu-san Huang offers insights through the recollection of Mr. Fu-san Huang, a leader who has a profound influence in transforming Taiwanese history from an unknown field of study into a respectable academic discipline. Studying Taiwan Before Taiwan Studies: American Anthropologists in Cold War Taiwan collects narratives from seven international researchers of China studies who carried out their research between 1950 and 1980, providing valuable new archival resources for Taiwan studies.
The Selection of Archival Documents in Celebration of the 95th Anniversary of the IHP, Academia Sinica features 95 letters and documents from scholars such as Fu Ssu-nien, Tsai Yuan-pei, and Tung Tso-pin, illuminating the Institute of History and Philology’s early establishment, the turmoil brought by war, and its relocation to Taiwan. A Collection of Christian Sermon Stories in Chinese: 1603-1769 collects and examines the sermon stories that reflect the spread of Catholicism in the Chinese-speaking world during the Ming and Qing dynasties, offering new academic insights into religious and translation history.
The Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan documents the characteristics, geographical distribution and governance of Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples from the perspective of a Japanese colonial administrator. Towards an Anthropology of Governance and Worlding: Comparative Austronesian Perspectives examines emerging concepts such as cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and intellectual property, and ethnic enterprise, examining how these ideas are jointly shaped and appropriated by various parties in the modes of governance between Indigenous peoples and the state. These publications are an important tool for understanding research issues and social issues in the field of indigenous studies.
History is not only about the changes in the past, but it is also about the conceptual changes throughout time. Reflection and Transformation: Academic Paradigm, Social Issues, and Local Development offers critical interpretations on social transformation. The Making of the Enlightenment, The Making of a Movement: A Conceptual History of the Enlightenment in Modern China probes into the process of translation of “Enlightenment” into “qimeng yundong” in East Asia, how it contributed to the New Enlightenment Movement, and the significance it had on the modern history of China and Chinese nationalism.
In the fields of military and legal studies, War, Institutions, and Thought: The Rise of the General Staff in Modern China provides a comprehensive history the General Staff as an institution, providing an analysis on China’s military evolution from tradition to modernity. The three books in the field of political science include 2019 Administrative Regulation and Judicial Remedies: State Responsibility and Protection Duty, New Horizons in Political Thought (II), and Political Science: The State of the Discipline, all of which are scholarly research addressing contemporary legal and political issues and future outlooks.
Apart from scholarly research, another highlight of Taiwan is its unique natural ecosystem. Adventures in the Biodiversity Wonderland II presents 22 pieces of popular science articles encompassing knowledge of marine, terrestrial, aerial and microbial biodiversity. The book serves to deepen our understanding of biodiversity and environmental conservation.
Academia Sinica is dedicated to advancing academic research and seeks to learn from and shape global publishing trends. Through various channels, we aim to showcase Taiwan’s abundant research potential to the world. These 15 selected books will be displayed both at the Taiwan Pavilion and its online platform at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair. Please come and visit us, and discover the extraordinary diversity of Taiwan!
Frankfurt Book Fair (Taiwan Pavilion)
Date: October 16- October 20, 2024
Venue: Frankfurt Trade Fair Grounds
Taiwan Pavilion (Hall 6.0 D57)
Organized by: Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA)
Co-organized by: Taipei Book Fair Foundation
Link to Taiwan Pavilion (Online)
