The 23rd Annual Conference of the European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS), Echoes of Authority: Forty Years on from the Eve of the Lifting of Martial Law, delivered significant research impact by extending scholarly work on authoritarianism in Taiwan beyond academia to wider public, professional and international audiences. Hosted by the University of Portsmouth from 1 to 3 April and organised by Dr Isabelle Cockel, Max Dixon, and Dr Stefano Pelaggi (Sapienza University of Rome), the conference brought together 140 participants from 11 countries, including researchers, students, cultural professionals and members of the public.
Collectively, these activities contributed to measurable impacts in public understanding, cultural awareness and international engagement. The conference strengthened links between UK higher education, Taiwanese cultural institutions, journalists and filmmakers, supporting interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. It provided a platform for research-led dialogue on authoritarian legacies that resonates with contemporary global challenges to democratic governance, thereby demonstrating both the reach and significance required for REF impact.
The conference advanced understanding of how authoritarian governance shapes everyday life, memory and citizenship, and demonstrated the continuing relevance of this research to contemporary debates on democracy, surveillance, state power and human rights. By integrating academic panels with exhibitions and film screenings, the event translated complex research findings into accessible visual and narrative forms, enabling non-academic audiences to engage with the lived experiences of martial law and its legacies.
The accompanying public exhibitions and film programme significantly broadened the reach of the research. The photographic exhibition Janus Moments: Taiwan’s Democratic Awakening through a Journalist’s Lens, featuring the work of photojournalist Tzu-ming Huang, used visual storytelling to communicate research insights into political repression, protest and transitional justice. Silencing but Unsilenced, a rare collection of banned political magazines from the martial law era, highlighted the role of civil society actors in defending freedom of expression. White Terror in Print, an exhibition of archival materials of letters and diaries of political prisoners and their families underscores what it is like to live under, and with, a secret service’s surveillance, investigation and interrogation, which is also part of the exhibition. Donated by the National Museum of Taiwan History (magazines) and the Institute of Taiwan History of Academia Sinica (archives), these exhibitions facilitated knowledge exchange between UK audiences and Taiwanese cultural heritage institutions.
Janus Moments: Taiwan’s Democratic Awakening through a Journalist’s Lens
Silencing but Unsilenced
White Terror in Print
Impact was further enhanced through the documentary Behind the Scenes, co-produced by Mr Huang and Dr Cockel, which brought together former dissidents, photojournalists and law enforcement agents involved in censorship and raids. By presenting multiple viewpoints, the film encouraged critical public reflection on state violence, accountability and historical memory. Film screenings of Eyes on Democracy and Panana extended this impact by engaging audiences with the long-term consequences of authoritarian rule, including gendered and transnational dimensions of Cold War politics.