Written by Matthew Mucha

Edited by the Taiwan Gazette

Photos by Matthew Mucha

On May 12, 2025, the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library at the University of Toronto welcomed guests, scholars, and students to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Taiwan Resource Centre for Chinese Studies (TRCCS). This milestone event, held in partnership with Taiwan’s National Central Library, highlighted a decade of scholarly collaboration, resource sharing, and commitment to Chinese and Taiwan studies.

The event opened with warm remarks from Hana Kim, Director of the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, who reflected on the centre’s growth and evolving role as a hub for Taiwanese scholarship in Canada. A recorded greeting from Director General Han-Ching Wang of the National Central Library in Taiwan emphasized the importance of international partnerships in advancing global Chinese studies. Director-General Yi-Peng Liang also delivered remarks, reaffirming Taiwan’s commitment to knowledge exchange and academic diplomacy.

The highlight of the afternoon was a compelling keynote lecture by Professor Daya (Da-Wei) Kuan, Chair of the Department of Ethnology at National Chengchi University, titled:
“Bridging Indigenous Knowledge and Modern Science, Unsettling the Settler-Colonial Land Regime: Experiences from Taiwan.”

Moderated by Professor Victor Falkenheim, Director of the Global Taiwan Studies Initiative, the lecture brought attention to the historical and contemporary dynamics of settler colonialism in Taiwan, particularly as they relate to the dispossession of Indigenous peoples. Professor Kuan provided a historical overview of the settler-colonial framework and traced how Taiwan’s Indigenous communities have been systematically marginalized through land appropriation and erasure.

Drawing on fieldwork and interdisciplinary research, Kuan examined the complex relationships among land, natural resources, Indigenous governance norms, and the state regime. He challenged dominant models of land management and proposed an alternative vision based on Indigenous knowledge systems, which emphasize the functionality of homeland—realizing integrated ecological, social, and economic functions; the continuity of homeland—supporting mobility and the dynamic relationship between rural and urban life; and the governability of homeland—developing collaborative, cross-cultural approaches to governance and land stewardship.

Professor Kuan’s lecture resonated deeply with attendees and sparked critical reflection on how Taiwan’s Indigenous communities continue to resist erasure and imagine alternative futures rooted in sovereignty, sustainability, and relational governance.

The event concluded with a lively Q&A session and informal reception, allowing participants to engage further with the themes of decolonization, Indigenous resurgence, and global Taiwan studies.

As TRCCS enters its second decade, this celebration served not only as a recognition of past achievements but also as a reaffirmation of the library's role as a vibrant space for dialogue, inclusion, and critical inquiry in the field of Taiwan studies.