Bi-Lateral Austrian-Taiwanese Joint Seminar: “Equality: Austria and Taiwan”

Vienna, Austria
27–28th Feb 2017

Organization:
Prof. Dr. Andrea Komlosy, Department of Social and Economic History,    University of Vienna
Dr. Astrid Lipinsky, Department of East Asian Studies – Sinology, University of Vienna

About the Conference:

Based upon the discussion about equality at the 2016 joint seminar at National Chengchi University (NCCU), Taipei, Taiwan, with participating scholars from both University of Vienna and NCCU, the Seminar ‘Equality: Austria and Taiwan’ aims to extend the scope of discussion about equality with a focus on equality for minorities and generational equality in both Austria and Taiwan. Both face formidable challenges of properly accommodating immigrants and justly treating minority groups. Ethnic/language and generational difference is central to the aforementioned problems facing both Austria and Taiwan, representing the two main topics under the theme of equality. Subjects to be discussed include: 1. Equality and ethnic diversity: migration (history of migration, historic waves of immigration both in Austria and in Taiwan, mainlanders in Taiwan); deportation and escape; aborigines and historical minorities (aspects of ethnicity, minority cultures, how to preserve one’s culture, distribution of minorities in the territory); multilinguality (linguistic diversity), ‘Chineseness’ of migration, distribution on the territory). 2. Equality and generation: demography (population policy and changes, different generations of elderly and youth, social security and welfare, how far is welfare related to permanent employment, identity; gender; labor relations (informal work, atypical work, retirement ages, non-permanent work). In addition to discussing equality in contexts of Austria and Taiwan, comparison will be attempted for better theorising equality on the basis of solid empirical studies.

Download the conference program as PDF