【51st Talk】Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yeh Er-jian: Subordination and Agency in a Cross-Imperial Network: Japanese-Philippine Forestry Knowledge Production and Actors in Colonial Taiwan
Upcoming Event
| Introduction | The 50th session of the “Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series,” organized by the Institute of International Education and the Tan Lark Sye Institute at New Era University College is now open for registration. In this lecture, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yeh Er-jian from National Dong Hwa University will examine forestry knowledge production in Japan and the Philippines, with a focus on the role of colonial Taiwan. Since the 1910s, as Japan’s demand for timber grew, Taiwan became a crucial hub in gathering forestry intelligence from the resource-rich Philippines. Through a “cross-imperial network” linking Japan, the United States, Taiwan, and the Philippines, Taiwanese professionals conducted forestry surveys that significantly shaped Japan’s understanding of Philippine forestry. The lecture will explore how Taiwanese actors navigated the tensions between local initiative and imperial control, offering new perspectives on inter-imperial interactions and the history of forestry and knowledge exchange in East and Southeast Asia. |
| Speaker | Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yeh Er-jian (National Dong Hwa University) Dr. Er-jian Yeh is Associate Professor in the Department of Taiwan and Regional Studies at National Dong Hwa University. He received his PhD in Geography from Durham University, UK. His research focuses on historical geography and regional geography, with particular interest in how historical actors,including colonial bureaucrats, scientists, Chinese merchants, and local communities, produced, transmitted, and practiced knowledge within complex power structures. Dr. Yeh has led a number of research projects, including the Hakka Cultural Research Project at Academia Sinica, the Nantou City Chronicle, and the Revised Mingjian Township Chronicle. His publications include Colonial Actors in Dualities: Japanese Research on Colonial Era Philippine Forestry and articles on agricultural exchange, Chinese merchant networks, forestry, and regional development in East and Southeast Asia. Notable works include “Fruits and Vegetables from China: The Historical Geography of Agricultural Exchange in the Northwest Pacific Region during the Early Twentieth Century,” “The Historical Geography of Chinese Merchants’ Activities in the Philippines during the Early American Period (1900s–1930s),” “Agricultural Knowledge Exchange between Japanese-Ruled Taiwan and the American Philippines in the Early Twentieth Century,” and “Natural Improvement, Social Mobilization, and Regional Formation in Yuli during the 1920s.” |
| Moderator | Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pek Wee Chuen (New Era University College) Dr. Pek Wee Chuen is Associate Professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature and Head of the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at New Era University College. He received his PhD in Geography from National Taiwan Normal University. He also serves as a Geography Curriculum Consultant for Dong Zong and Academic Director of the Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies. His research focuses on the regional geography and social development of Malaysia, particularly Malaysian Chinese society. He is the author of several books, including The Transformation and Integration of Chinese Society in Johor Bahru: 1855–1942, The Nanyang Code on the Equator, and Farewell to Tangshan: Rebirth in the Exotic Land of the Malay Peninsula. He has also published numerous academic articles on Malaysian society, history, and geography. |
| Information | Date: 24 June 2026 (Wednesday) Time: 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM Venue: ZOOM (ID & password will be sent to your mobile number and email) Registration Form: https://bit.ly/3seNHqc Registration is free. Please complete your registration by Tuesday, 23 June 2026. |
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