In memory of Ian Inkster
Written by Dafydd Fell, SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies
Ian Inkster at one of SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies events
It was with great sadness that we learnt about the passing of Centre of Taiwan Studies Professorial Research Associate Ian Inkster after a long battle with cancer. Ian joined the Centre in 2012 and over the last eleven years has been one of our most active members. He made an important contribution to the centre through his Taiwan Studies scholarship, engagement with the media and enthusiastic participation on our Taiwan events programme. He will be deeply missed.
Ian first joined us as a Professorial Research Associate in 2012 and over the last decade has given numerous research presentations. His first talk for us was in November 2012 was High Tech Europe and the Formosan Civilization Wars circa 1860-1900. A Study in Global Connectivity. Then in December 2014 his talk title was Cannibalism and the Cultural Denigration of Imperial China. A Story of Taiwan in the 1890s.
After he retired from Nottingham Trent University and Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, he became even more actively involved in the Centre’s activities. For instance, he spoke at a number of our roundtables on Taiwan’s 2016 and 2020 elections, as well as our 2017 Summer School roundtable on the 39th anniversary of the lifting of Taiwan’s martial law. He also frequent chaired events or served as a discussant, such as at our Summer Schools and the 2015 World Congress of Taiwan Studies. Ian would always offer suggestions and questions for our SOAS Taiwan speakers and was at the heart of the lively post event discussions.
Ian at Film Screening of Wawa No Cidal (太陽的孩子) & Q&A with the Leading Actress Ado.
Ian’s contributions to Taiwan Studies was not just limited to purely academic research. He was the most active of all our Taiwan team in promoting understanding of Taiwan for non academic readerships. For instance, he frequently wrote for media outlets such as Taiwan Insight, the Taipei Times and the South China Morning Post.
Even in his last few years battling cancer and the dark Covid lockdown period, he continued to publish academic and media pieces on a diverse range of Taiwan topics.
Ian speaking at our 2016 Elections Panel
Ian also enriched our programme by introducing us to many speakers for our programme, such as his former PhD students Dr. Pei Hsi Susan Lin and Professor Jerry C. Y. Liu. Susan would later go on to also join the Centre as one of our Research Associates. We also learnt much from a number of his former students who came to SOAS for postgraduate studies such as Muni Pasasauv.
One of our most special memories of Ian was when many of the SOAS Taiwan Team joined his 70th birthday party at his Nottingham home in 2019. By that time he had already been fighting cancer for a couple of years, but was still full of enthusiasm about his Taiwan research plans. In his last few years, one day he would inform us of his health setbacks and the next he would be publishing another important media piece on Taiwan.
In fact, just weeks before he passed away he was still talking about returning to SOAS to speak at our 2023 Summer School.
Ian’s 70th Birthday Party
We send our deep condolences to his wife Lesley, who has also been a strong supporter of our Taiwan programme and frequent participant in our events since 2012.
