From 28 until 31 October the NWO-MOST Joint Seminar ‘Life at the Extremes 2.0: A new research agenda for studying historical life courses in the Netherlands and Taiwan’ was organized. It was co-organized by myself.
During this seminar new research directions in comparative population history were explored and an innovative and long-lasting research agenda was created. Moreover, a joint committee was established which oversees and coordinates future research projects, applications for additional funding, joint sessions at conferences and publications in international peer-reviewed journals. In addition, the seminar was a great success because of the input provided by international experts from other parts of the world outside, who provided valuable perspectives and expertise. At the same time the presence and interest of many young academics ensures the continuation of the proposed research in the future. The joint seminar thus provided an opportunity to set an agenda to evaluate the models that now dominate our perception of the demographic history of the world, and to determine how we are able to go beyond what is currently known. This seminar was not possible without collaboration of the Dutch Research Council (NWO), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the Centres for Social Science and Humanities and the Institute for Sociology of Academia Sinica, and the Radboud Group for Historical Demography and Family History.
The full programme can be found here (pdf, 15 MB), and the research agenda here.
