In August 1969, Dr. Shih-Chieh Wang, the late President of Academia Sinica, proposed the establishment of an institute for American studies in the Republic of China. As a result, the Center for American Studies was founded in May 1973, and Dr. Chi-Lu Chen was appointed director. On July 1, 1974, the Center was officially incorporated as the Institute of American Culture, Academia Sinica. Dr. Yen Chu succeeded Dr. Chen as director in July 1977, and presided until June 1983, when Dr. Tung-Hsun Sun assumed the directorship. From 1988 to 2002, the Institute was organized into three divisions: the Humanities, Social and Economic Studies, and Legal and Political Studies. Dr. Liang-Tsai Wei took over the directorship on July 1, 1989 when Dr. Sun's term of office expired.
　　The name of the Institute was changed to the Institute of European and American Studies on August 3, 1991, reflecting its newly expanded mandate. In an effort to recruit competent scholars in European Studies, the European Studies Preparatory Committee was formed with Dr. Yen Chu as advisor. On July 1, 1993, Dr. Jia-You Sheu assumed the directorship and on March 2, 1998, he was succeeded by Dr. Cheng-Yi Lin. On August 1, 2003, Dr. Yu-Cheng Lee took over the directorship.

　　The Institute specializes in area studies and interdisciplinary research. Its main foci include Cultural Studies, Neo-Pragmatism, European Union, Public Policy in Europe and the United States, and Sino-American Relations and Sino-European Relations.

Cultural Studies. The transformation of European and American literature and culture, minority literature and culture, cultural translation, immigration and cultural citizenship, the variation of cultural tastes and lifestyles across social strata, contemporary art and culture, museum studies and cultural politics.
Philosophy of Mind and Language – Neo-Pragmatism. The relationship between language and the world, the concept of truth, meaning and the mental, the subjective and the objective, the study of individual philosophers.
European Union Study. (1) EU: theory, law and policy; (2) political and/or legal issues, with special reference to countries like Germany, U.K. and France; (3) relations between Taiwan and the EU.
Gender Equality and Public Policy Studies in Europe and the United StatesPublic. (1) The historical development of public policies; (2) gender equality, including the impact of feminism on the formation of anti-poverty policies, social welfare policies and family policies.
Sino-American/Sino-foreign Relations and History. (1) U.S. government, foreign affairs, and Sino-American relations; (2) European and/or American history, including German history, the history of American women, and the history Sino-European relations.

 　　The researchers of the Institute have been engaged in the major areas of Western culture and civilization, including specifically European and American literature and culture, American and German diplomatic history, the philosophy of language and mind, the structure and transformation of societies, the role of education in society, major legal issues, international law and organizations, and political systems and behavior.

　　Through a sustained endeavor, the Institute has distinguished itself in research of British and American authors and minorities' literature, public policy in Western societies, annual reports on Sino-American relations, and systems of government in the European Union. With an emphasis on the balance between critical reception and cultural differences, the Institute has initiated a series of regular conferences, seminars and lectures to promote and enhance European and American studies in the Republic of China on Taiwan. The Institute's researchers publish about 100 papers per year, both in domestic and international journals. Since its inception, the Institute has published 59 monographs, 15 collections of selected papers, and 14 reports on specific issues. The Institute's journal EurAmerica, a quarterly with more than 38 published volumes, is a prestigious forum for the study of Europe and the United States in the Asia Pacific. EurAmerica (formerly American Studies) won the National Science Council Award for Superior Academic Journal in 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.

PERSONNEL
　　Members of the Institute research the entire range of European and American studies with an emphasis on education, history, law, literature, philosophy, political science, sociology and Sino-American relations. At present, the Institute has 28 full-time research members (14 research fellows, 9 associate research fellows, 4 assistant research fellows, 1 assistant researcher), 2 part-time research fellows, and 5 research fellows by correspondence.

LIBRARY FACILITIES (up to December 2007)
　　The research Library was established in 1974 when the Institute of American Culture was founded. After nearly three decades of careful management, the library now houses a large collection of books, journals, microfilms, microfiches, and CD-ROMs, covering the following areas: European and American literature, history, philosophy, education, politics, law, sociology, mography, and economics. Currently the library holds a collection of 122,619 volumes in foreign languages, mainly English, and 4,464 volumes in Chinese. The library also holds 1,241 journals in foreign languages, 192 journals in Chinese, 2 journals in Japanese, 5,178 microfilms, 54,454 microfiches, 1,243 CD-ROMs, 221 videos, 151 DVDs, 896 tapes and 266 e-books. Library services will be further improved with the completion of the Academia Sinica's full-scale library automation program.