Activity

	2011International conference This conference – the first one organized by the Taiwan Society for Pacific Studies – aims at identifying the ways of mapping the Pacific in time and space that have been developed by islanders, especially by Austronesian populations. Such "mapping" has taken place through migration roads, tales, songs and genealogies, as well as by astronomic or geographic charts and artistic renderings. Taking these representations both in their irreducible variety and as an organic whole may help a new generation of scholars to challenges the usual ways of looking at the Pacific world, thus enabling the inhabitants of this "oceanic continent" to enrich and develop the interactive process through which they understand their history and destiny.
	2012 International Austronesian Conference The Pacific Ocean is not only a physical space but a mystical one too: its immensity and the experience of its crossing have inspired in-depth spiritual experiences expressed through stories, myths, music and epics; its borders and islands have witnessed the advent and the decline of all the world’s mystical traditions breaking along its shore wave after wave; it is ultimately one of the privileged spaces where humankind has refined their experience, chanting it in resonance with the Divine. The commonality of such spiritual experiences is sometimes summarized in the term “Oceanic Feeling”, though such wording remains open to challenges and controversies. Linguistic and musical expression, mystical experience, literary and artistic metaphors, and cross-cultural interaction all form part of the integrity of the region. This conference aims to assess and describe the spiritual and historical resources of Oceania and of Austronesian peoples as well as the creative ways through which they are expressed.
	2014 Pacific History Association 21st Biennial Conference The 21st biennial conference of the Pacific History Association (PHA) will take place in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, and Taitung, in the Austronesian-speaking indigenous area of southeast Taiwan. We will convene at Taipei for the first part of the conference, and then travel to Taitung to be more engaged with indigenous communities for the second part of the conference. Taitung is famous for its rich Austronesian cultures and the beautiful scenery between coastal mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Tours to Austronesian villages, archaeological sites and the Prehistoric Museum will be arranged.