Global Asia Research Center (GARC) was established in 2017 after College of Social Sciences received a generous funding form Kim Koo Foundation, Republic of Korea. With the support of the dean at the time, Kuo-Hsien Su, the center was established and led by Pei-Chia Lan as the founding director. The center aims to promote cross-social and cultural comparative studies in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as to conduct Taiwan studies from a global and transnational perspective. In the past, many Western Asia research centers in universities followed the paradigm of area studies, viewing Asia as an exotic experience under the influence of colonial or imperial traditions, even with a voyeuristic gaze. In contrast, Global Asia studies emphasizes examining Asia in the context of globalization, breaking free from the narrow approach of defining “Asia” by geographical regions. The Global Asia Research Center takes a similar approach, using comparative and transnational studies as a paradigm to broaden the research scope of Taiwan studies, enhance the understanding of the distinctive characteristics of Asian modernity, and challenge the biases and limitations of Western-centric paradigms.
