In response to International Women’s Day, the Women’s Studies Association has designated March as Women’s Studies Month and will hold a series of panel discussions from February to May. In 2024, we have organize four forums, focusing on topics such as gendered creative labor, smart technology and AI, art and women, and the #MeToo movement in the workplace. We invite experts and scholars from various fields to deepen the discussion of social issues based on their research concerns.
2024
Session IV: A Year After the #MeToo Movement Wave: How Has Taiwan’s Labor Sector Responded?
Speakers and Topics:
- “How Taiwanese Workplaces Handle and Respond to the #MeToo Movement Before and After Legislative Changes”
Lawyer Wang Ru-Xuan | Consultant at Evergreen International Law Firm, Director at the Modern Women’s Foundation - “Workplace Harassment and Sexual Violence: Experiences and Challenges of Transgender and Sexual Minority Groups”
Supervisor Chen He-Xun | Multiple Discrimination Gender Violence Prevention Center, The Garden of Hope Foundation - “Workplace Harassment and Sexual Violence: Experiences and Challenges of Migrant Workers”
Director Li Kai-Li | Migrant Services Center, The Garden of Hope Foundation
Moderator:
- Researcher Zhang Jin-Fen | Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica
Session III: Gender and Art
Speakers and Topics:
- “Hearing ‘Her’ Voice: Writing Women into Taiwan’s Music History”
Pan Li-Min | Assistant Professor, Graduate Institute of Musicology, National Taipei University of the Arts - “Different Views: Exploring Film History with a Gender Perspective”
Wang Jun-Qi | Associate Professor, Department of Film Creation, National Taipei University of the Arts - “Art as a Negotiation of Motherhood and Subjectivity”
Wu Dai-Rong | Associate Professor and Director, Graduate Institute of Arts and Humanities Education, National Taipei University of the Arts
Moderator:
- Wu Ma-Li | Retired Professor, Interdisciplinary Institute of Arts, National Kaohsiung Normal University
Session II: Welcome AI Assistants! Oops, Hidden Monsters Have Arrived Too
Speakers and Topics:
- “Tech-Savvy ‘Good’ Wife? Home Smart Technologies and Outsourcing Domestic Labor”
Ko Yun-Ching | Holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a Master’s in Sociology from National Taiwan University. Currently the Vice Executive Director at Taiwan Innocence Redress Association and a part-time translator. Recently returned to school, studying at the Graduate Institute of Interdisciplinary Legal Studies at National Taiwan University. Previous translations include “The Smart Wife: Siri, Alexa, and AI Home Appliances Need Feminism?”, “Security in Polyamorous Relationships”, “When Girls Become Currency”, “I Am Not a Feminist: A Feminist Manifesto”, “Has Feminism Changed Science?” among others. - “How Does Algorithm Calculate Intimacy? Sex, Intimacy, and Companion Algorithms”
Fang Nian-Hsuan | Associate Professor at the College of Communication, National Chengchi University, specializing in journalism and gender, gender and technology, focusing recently on digital sexual violence and issues of reality, power, and gender in textual and audio-visual representation. - “A Universal Smile? AI, Universalism, and the Dialogue with Contextual Knowledge”
Yu Zhen-Yi | Assistant Professor at the Gender Studies Institute, Kaohsiung Medical University, specializing in gender sociology and information society. Focuses on gender issues within information technology development, with recent emphasis on gender assumptions and power relations in AI development.
Moderator
- Wang Shu-Yun | Associate Professor in the Department of Social Welfare at National Chung Cheng University, specializing in gender and caregiving. Currently focuses on labor and gender issues within caregiving relationships, with a recent emphasis on work-family balance.
Session I: Gendered Creative Labor: Entrepreneurial Spirit, Gender Division of Labor, and Labor Rights Action
Topics and Speaker Introduction:
- “Characteristics of Creative Labor and Patterns of Gender Inequality”
Lai Yi-Hsuan | Assistant Professor, Department of Communication and Media, Fu Jen Catholic University Focuses on the impact of neoliberalism on Taiwan, including film and media culture and its practitioners. - “Independent or Struggling Alone? Self-Image of Cultural and Creative Workers”
Chen Zhi-Xian | Professor, Department of Cultural and Creative Industries, Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology Although trained in journalism and communication, he has mostly taken courses outside his department, delving into quantitative statistics while yearning for political economy and cultural studies. Accidentally transitioned to teaching in the creative department, he always feels like an outsider, constantly learning. - “Rights Protection for Artistic Workers: Initiatives and Practices of the Artistic Creators Union”
Zeng Fu-Quan | Secretary-General, Taipei City Art Creators Trade Union Responsible for the union’s daily operations, various projects, and advocacy and research on labor issues. Former member of the Student Labor Rights Action Group at Shih Hsin University under the Higher Education Union, participated in actions against tuition hikes, opposition to the dismissal of adjunct teachers, and more. Joined the Higher Education Union’s Youth Action Committee in 2016, engaged in actions against cutting holiday days, opposing amendments to the Labor Standards Act, and advocating for university-provided student housing. - “Labor, Gender Division of Labor, and Performance in Taiwan’s Film and Television Industry”
Lin Xin-Yi | Film Producer and Casting Director Graduated from the Graduate Institute of Taiwanese Literature, National Taiwan University. As a film producer and casting director, she is dedicated to developing projects with international potential and helping new writers and directors connect with the industry. Her recent projects include the movie “Mermaid Chronicles,” selected for the Hong Kong HAF venture, and the series “Catch Well,” chosen for the Singapore ATF IP Accelerator venture unit. She also runs the online film and television media outlet Mapless Vision, focusing on the Chinese-language cultural content industry and in-depth reporting.
2023
Facing up to Women’s Islam: Belief, Family, and Career（2023.02.15）
Chair
- Liang Chiu-hung (Cheng Kung University Department of History Assistant Professor)
Topics and Speakers
- Tsai Fen-fang (Central University Department of Hakka Language and Social Sciences Associate Professor): The Hijab from Multiple Angles
- Huang Ssu-en (Manager of Iran Shop): A Believer’s Perspective on the “Covering” of Women in Islam
- Lee Mei-Hsien (Chi Nan University Department of Southeast Asian Studies Distinguished Professor): “Oh, there are Muslim woman scientists?”: Knowledge Selectivity and Knowledge Assassination
- Chiou Syuan-yuan (Chengchi University Department of Sociology Assistant Professor): Maternal and Child Issues of the Left-behind Children of Indonesian Migrant Workers and the Social Support of Muslim Religious Groups
War from Multiple Gender Perspectives: Women in the Military, The Will to Defend, and the Patriarchal Imagination of Military Affairs （2023.03.26）
Chair
- Liu Wen (Academia Sinica Institute of Ethnology Assistant Research Professor)
Topics and Speakers
- Yen Chiao-shan (National Defense University Department of Psychology and Social Work Assistant Professor): Inclusion, Deterioration, or Replacement? Women’s Military Service in Taiwan: Current Situation and Challenges
- Josh Wenger (Academia Sinica Institute of Sociology Postdoctoral Researcher): Women and Military Affairs in Taiwan: A Preliminary Study of Public Opinion Surveys
- Sie Da-wun (Taiwan University Department of Sociology Doctoral Candidate): Total Defense, Regardless of Gender
- Peng Jen-yü (Academia Sinica Institute of Ethnology Associate Research Professor): Women’s Multiple Identities in Wartime: Beyond the Shadow of Violence and the Patriarchal Imagination of the Elusive Hero
Knot/Unknot of Digital Media Intimate Relationships (2023.05.07)
Chair
- Li Pei-wen (Shih Hsin University Department of Speech Communication and Social Media Professor)
Topics and Speakers
- Kung Te-lien (Journalist, The Reporter): Modern Digital Love
- Kang Ting-yü (Chengchi University College of Communication Associate Professor): Teaching and Practicing Digital Intimate Relationships
- Tsai Yi-wen (Tsinghua University Department of Sociology Doctoral Student):“Show off your love and it won’t last?”: Love Wars in the Age of Social Media
- Chen Wei-ping (Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Department of Communication & Technology Assistant Professor): Data Culture: The Interweaving of Technology and Emotion
2022
Rainbow Popcorn: Surviving the School Years as a Sexual Minority（2022.07.10）
Chair
- Chen Bo-wei (Kaohsiung Normal University Graduate Institute of Gender Education Associate Professor)
Speakers
- Wang Tseng-yung (Chengchi University Graduate Institute of Social Work Professor)
- Chou Pi-lan (United University Center for General Education Assistant Professor)
- Hu Yü-ying (Kaohsiung Medical University Graduate Institute of Gender Studies Associate Professor)
- Cheng Fan-ting (Taiwan University Graduate Institute of Taiwan Literature Associate Professor)
- Yen Shen-horn (Sun Yat-sen University Department of Biological Sciences Associate Professor)
Young Scholars Survival Tutorial（2022.05.01）
Chair
- Huang Shu-I (Taiwan University of Science and Technology Center for General Education Assistant Professor)
Speakers
- Hung Hui-fen (Soochow University Department of Social Work Professor)
- Chen Chao-ju (Taiwan University College of Law Distinguished Professor)
- Tseng Yen-fen (Taiwan University Department of Sociology Professor)
- Tai Hua-hsüan (Aletheia University Department of Taiwanese Literature Associate Professor)
Empowerment of Gender Education（2022.03.20）
Chair
- Chen Chih-fan (Tsinghua University Graduate Institute of Taiwan Literature Associate Professor)
Speakers
- Wang Li-ching (Pingtung University Department of Education Associate Professor)
- Yü Chen-i (Kaohsiung Medical University Graduate Institute of Gender Studies Assistant Professor)
- Li Shu-chun (Kaohsiung Medical University Graduate Institute of Gender Studies Associate Professor)
- Shen Hsiu-hua (Tsinghua University Institute of Sociology Associate Professor)
- Fan Ming-ju (Chengchi University Graduate Institute of Taiwanese Literature Distinguished Professor)
- Chung Tao-chuan (Soochow University Department of Social Work Associate Professor)
