Wu Kun-yung from Taiwan and Jana S. Rosker from Slovenia were honored with a joint cultural award June 20 in Paris for their efforts to promote cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Europe, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Wu, general planner of the book series “Collection Critique Socio-Politique” published by Editions Utopie, has been an avid backer of social movements through his work, while Rosker, a professor from the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Ljubljana, has devoted herself to studying Taiwan’s modern and contemporary philosophers.
MOC Minister Lee Yung-te said during the presentation ceremony that Wu has been instrumental in bringing contemporary French zeitgeist to Taiwan and promoting mutual understanding of the two countries’ social issues. Rosker, on the other hand, has played a pivotal part in introducing Taiwan philosophy and its place in the greater Mandarin-speaking realm to France and Europe, he added.
In response, Wu said the award has encouraged him to continue building a bridge between the two sides’ authors and readers, while Rosker expressed appreciation for the award’s role in deepening friendship among the people of Taiwan, France and Europe in a prerecorded video.
Established in 1996 by the MOC and Academy of Moral and Political Sciences under the Institut de France, the annual Taiwan-France Cultural Award is presented to distinguished individuals or groups that have helped raise awareness of Taiwan in Europe or facilitated cultural exchanges.
The presentation of the award was part of Lee’s recent eight-day tour in Europe. The minister visited Germany, the Czech Republic and France before returning to Taiwan June 21. (YCH-E)
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