Academia Sinica Logo

Since 2019, as the geopolitical situation in East Asia and the Taiwan Strait has heated up, and in the face of China’s continued threat and the possibility of war, civil defense groups have emerged in Taiwan. The emergence of these civil defense groups demonstrates that war preparedness is not just a high-level political issue for the state, but also a matter of concern for the public and a space for spontaneous action. This bottom-up national defense movement deserves our continued attention to explore its significance and to observe the possibilities of their relationship with state institutions: can the collaboration between the national defense department and civil defense groups raise the resistance consciousness of Taiwan’s society? What can be the role of citizens groups in the territorial defense of Taiwan? Under the threat of military conflict, how can different local communities develop resilience and mobility, and join the resistance? Beyond ideological nuances and competition for resources, to what extent these different groups form a social movement or a community of destiny? The morning session will present academic papers on past and present civil defense in Taiwan, followed by a discussion from an academic perspective. The afternoon session consists in two roundtables that will bring together social scientists and military experts with representatives of various emerging civil defense groups, to discuss these issues and explore new ideas for both academics and the general public.

 

Note:
 

1.For the morning session, online participation is available. The link to the online conference room would be sent via email before the event.
2.For the afternoon session, online participation is NOT available.

3.Registration: https://forms.gle/vb2bmKLi7X6Gq36HA