naming, they have maintained the five collective and cross-disciplinary themes. To this day, the five thematic research projects have accumulated considerable research accomplishments. (1)Cultural Studies Cultural Studies originated in Britain in the 1950s, in the aftermath of the Second World War, new issues arose in British society, including youth popular culture, immigration issues, and cultural production by women and the working class. When engaging the aforementioned subjects with the theories and methods of traditional disciplines proved problematic, Cultural Studies emerged to fill the void. Early Cultural Studies focused beyond deep-rooted traditional disciplinary methods, and its seminal influences came from Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, and the Frankfurt School. Over 40 to 50 years of development, Cultural Studies gradually established its own unique field, and has become an internationally prominent research area, exerting influence in different disciplines and regions. In 1994, the IEAS hosted a conference on “Cultural Studies: History and Theory”, as a preliminary step to exploring the historical development and theoretical issues of Cultural Studies. In view of the growing influence of this emerging intellectual movement, the Institute formed the thematic research project: “Cultural Studies” in December 1998, and began inviting researchers of different disciplines within the IEAS to join the thematic research project. In addition to the original researchers specialized in literature, researchers from other disciplines such as sociology, art history, and political science soon joined. This multidisciplinary formation exemplifies both the strength of the Institute and the malleable and multifaceted character of the field. Our aim is to engage in extensive interdisciplinary analyses, both individually and collectively, of seven key research issues of our time—post 9-11 research on British and American novels; a century of foreign language studies in Taiwan; cultural Cold War studies; art and fashion; American environmental literature and culture; legal and cultural studies; and neoliberal criticism—and thereby expand our academic vision and advance our research as we strive for intellectual originality and excellence. The members of this thematic research project have always adhered to an academically-rooted attitude, introducing new topics and exploring new fields through academic conferences, workshops, lectures, and publications. From the early topics on “cultural identity”, “politics of representation”, “invention of tradition”, “remapping Chinese America”, “negotiating the past”, to topics examining post-colonial legacies such as “in the shadows of empires”, or reflecting on the cruelty and trauma war has inflicted on Asian ethnic groups such as “war memories”, and finally, “food safety”. In terms of art history, aside from introducing new research topics to Taiwan’s art history circles, this thematic research project also promotes interdisciplinary dialogue among domestic art-related disciplines. Discussion of topics can range from traumatic politics, and women’s art, to museum research. The methodology spans feminism and the social sciences, all of which are indispensable elements of domestic art history research. In the future, this thematic research project is intended to redefine the significance of European Indelible Accomplishments: Research Performance and Academic Strengths 20
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