UP-TO-DATE HISTORY:Viewing Academia Historica’s responsibilities through the prism of the 20th century would not meet the needs of the present, Wu Mi-cha said

Taipei Times
Date: May 16, 2016
By: Tseng Wei-chen / Staff Reporter

Renowned historian Wu Mi-cha (吳密察) has been appointed by the incoming government as the next director of Academia Historica. Wu previously served as deputy minister of the now-defunct council of cultural affairs — now the Ministry of Culture — and director of the National Museum of Taiwan History.

Wu said that government documents relating to transitional justice and public properties should be processed as quickly as possible and made open to the public.

Wu said that the job of Academia Historica is relatively simple, with the law stipulating that its main responsibilities are editing presidential files, and collecting and storing presidential objects.

However, viewing Academia Historica’s responsibilities through the prism of the 20th century would not meet the needs of the present, he said.

Late Academia Historica director Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲) — who headed the institute from 2000 to 2008 — accentuated research on Taiwan-centric issues, with publications of research papers and books on political persecution, democracy pioneer Lei Chen (雷震), the White Terror era, the 228 Incident, Taiwan’s democratization process and Taiwan’s sovereignty.     [FULL  STORY]