On 21-22 November 2025, the Czech Association of Contemporary Asian Studies (CACAS) convened a meeting in Olomouc focused on East Asia and Taiwan, proudly supported by the Global Taiwan Chair project.
CACAS is a dynamic network connecting Czech scholars and experts who specialize in contemporary Asian studies, primarily within the fields of social sciences such as politics, international relations, sociology, and economics. Established in 2022, the association aims to deepen understanding of political and social developments across East, South, Southeast, and Central Asia while fostering academic collaboration.
The Olomouc meeting saw a strong turnout with 24 attendees and several sessions additionally open to students, initiating with welcome addresses by CACAS co-chairs Martina Varkočková (Metropolitan University Prague) and Lukáš Laš (University of Ostrava).
Photo 1: Martina Varkočková and Lukáš Laš opening the meeting
The opening was followed by the launch of the book Encyclopedia Tyrannica: A Research Guide to Authoritarianism by Jeroen Van Bosh (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań), Slavomír Horák (Charles University, Prague), and Lukáš Laš (University of Ostrava), which was complemented by practical discussions on integrating this open-access resource into Asian studies teaching.
Photo 2: Jeroen Van Bosh presenting the Encyclopedia Tyrannica
Early career researchers benefited from a publishing panel featuring editors from the Central European Journal of International and Security Studies (CEJISS), who shared insights on academic publishing and effective communication with editors.
Photo 3: Panel on academic publishing (Aleš Karmazín, Martina Varkočková, Michal Kolmaš, and Richard Turcsányi)
The program included engaging presentations such as “A Study on Interpersonal Communication between Czechs and Taiwanese in the Context of Second Language Teaching” by Michaela Zahradníková and Yixuan Jandová Chen.
Photo 4: Presentation by Michaela Zahradníková
In the late afternoon, the CACAS internal meeting took place, announcing the new CACAS leadership and planning the next meeting slated for mid-2026 with a continuing focus on Taiwan. The new CACAS co-chairs for 2025-2027 are Runya Qiaoan (Palacký University Olomouc) and Michal Kolmaš (Metropolitan University Prague). Congratulations!
The first day concluded with a convivial dinner at the Asian restaurant CÔDÔ in Olomouc, reinforcing community ties.
Photo 5: Dinner at CÔDÔ
On the second day, the conference featured rich academic contributions related to Taiwan and broader East Asian themes. Presentations addressed topics such as Slovakia’s discreet diplomatic pivot to Taiwan (Kristina Kironska), the Czech Senate’s Taiwan mission (Renata Westlake), Taiwan-Czech Republic soft power relations (Klára Schwarzová), pro-China attitudes in certain EU countries (Richard Turcsányi), and Central and Eastern Europe’s role in managing regional tensions in Asia (Alfred Gerstl). These sessions underscored CACAS’s commitment to illuminating the complex geopolitical and cultural dimensions of Taiwan and East Asia.
Photo 6: Presentation by Kristina Kironska
Photo 7: Presentation by Renata Westlake
Photo 8: Presentation by Klára Schwarzová
Photo 9: Presentation by Richard Turcsányi
Photo 10: Presentation by Alfred Gerstl
This Olomouc event reinforced the standing of CACAS as a vibrant platform for Czech Asia scholars, supported by the Global Taiwan Chair project, enabling sustained academic engagement and collaboration on crucial regional issues. Future meetings promise to continue this work, expanding networks and fostering scholarly exchange on Taiwan and beyond.
If you are interested in joining this network, please contact the CACAS network: https://cacas.cz/contact-us/