International Conference
Taiwanese Philosophy and the Preservation of Confucian Tradition
October 17–19, 2019
Although the philosophical currents in modern and contemporary Taiwan belong to the most influential and important streams of thought in contemporary East Asian theory, they are still unrecognized as specifically Taiwanese. The main reasons for the immense importance of Taiwanese philosophy for East Asia and the contemporary world are twofold. First, they can be found in its contributions to the preservation of traditional Chinese, especially Confucian thought. Secondly, its development of specific innovative philosophical approaches and systems profoundly influenced the theoretical discourses in the entire East Asian region. The philosophical currents in modern Taiwan were mainly developed during the second half of 20th century, in which the philosophical theory in mainland China was largely limited to the Sinization of Marxist thought. Hence, for many decades, Taiwanese philosophy represented the only driving force of developing, modernizing and upgrading traditional Chinese thought and its syntheses with Western thought. Hence, they soon also gained a wide spread popularity in most of the other East Asian societies that were traditionally influenced by classical Confucian thought, as for example Japan and South Korea.
The conference, organized by Ljubljana University, the EARL in Ljubljana and the TRCCS at the National Central Library in Taipei under the academic leadership by Professor Jana S. Rošker, Ph.D., will bring together leading European and East Asian scholars investigating the thought of Taiwanese philosophers. It aims to introduce their work to the wider international academic public, and to discuss and exchange knowledge regarding their philosophical approaches, ideas and methods. It will furthermore also illuminate the political, social and ideological backgrounds of the specific Taiwanese philosophy.
Contacts
Chief Organizers: Professor Jana Rošker, PhD & Professor zlatko1sabic [at] gmail [dot] com (Zlatko Šabič), PhD, director of EARL
Chief Conference Coordinator: Assistant Professor Tea Sernelj, PhD
Registration
The registration will open at the main conference venue on Thursday, October 17, at 9:30 AM.
Introductory Speech
Introductory speech, written by prof. Jana S. Rošker, the conference organizer.
Conference program
Link to the full conference program, panels and abstracts: Conference Program and Events
Conference Venues
Venue 1 - University of Ljubljana (all panels and Round table A)
Venue 2 - Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) (Round table B)
Ljubljana City Info
Ljubljana City Public Bus Transport
Ljubljana Airport (Jože Pučnik)
GoOpti - Airport Shuttle Transfers
Ljubljana Info - Souvenir & Gift Shops
Excursion
On Saturday, October 19, we will organize a joint trip to the Slovenian Karst region and the coast. All the costs for the trip have been covered by the organizers.
We will start our one-day trip with the visit of the famous Postojna cave with its fantastic web of tunnels, passages, galleries and halls. The astonishing diversity of Karst features as well as easy access are certainly the main reasons for the popularity of the cave and a large number of visitors, which has already reached 35 million in 200 years.
After that, we will take a look at the Predjama Castle which reigns over the surrounding area, perched high up in a vertical cliff, 9 km from the Postojna Cave, in the idyllic village of Predjama. It is an interesting and romantic sight throughout the year: in the spring and the summer its surroundings are abundant with blossoms and flowers, in the autumn it is clad in the colours of surrounding forests and it is at its most enchanting in the winter when the surrounding area is covered in snow. It was referred to in writing for the first time in 1202.
We will be continuing our trip with a visit to Hrastovlje, a village in the Municipality of Koper in the littoral region of Slovenia. It is best known for the Church of the Holy Trinity, which contains a late-medieval Danse Macabre fresco.
After this ghostly, but fascinating confrontation with the art of life and death, our way will lead us to the Slovenian coast, where we will stop in the picturesque town of Piran. It is one of the three major towns of Slovenian Istria. The town has much medieval architecture, with narrow streets and compact houses. Piran is the administrative centre of the local area and one of Slovenia's major tourist attractions. For lunch, we will enjoy seafood in one of its traditional restaurants located by the seaside.
On our way back to Ljubljana, if the time allows it, we will stop at one of the jewels of Slovenian Karst architecture - the small traditional Karst village Štanjel, where we will - among other sightseeings - visit a small wine cellar with traditional beverages.
Theatre performance "Zhuangzi and the Riddle of European Subjectivity"
Saturday, October 19 at 20:00 in Miniteater.
