Twentieth annual meeting of the Association of Third World Studies, Inc. held in Taipei, Taiwan December 28-31, 2002

The Twentieth Annual Meeting of the Association of Third World Studies, Inc., was held in Taipei, Taiwan, December 28-31, 2002. The conclave featured 30 panels and round tables which focused on the theme, "The Effects of Globalization in Taiwan and the Third World."

The conference was hosted by National Taiwan University (NTU) and co-hosted by Mississippi State University. Sponsors were: National Taiwan University, Office of the President and Office of the Dean of Social Sciences; Mississippi State University, Office of the Dean of Arts & Sciences and Department of History; Foreign Ministry, Republic of China; Office of the Chair of the National Policy Foundation, Republic of China; The Cho Chang Tsung Foundation of Education; The Wu T.H. Foundation; Georgia Southern University; Georgia Southwestern State University; Association of Third World Studies, Inc., and the Georgia Consortium, Inc.

The followng ATWS members are to be commended and congratulated for the immensely successful conference they conceived, organized and implemented: Dr. William Head, Program Chair and then ATWS Vice-President and President-Elect, who is Chief, Office of History, Warner Robins AFB,Georgia; Dr. Chien-fu Jeff Lin, Chair, Department of History, National Taiwan University (Local Arrangements); and Dr. Shu-hui Wu, Department of History, Mississippi State University (Local Arrangements), who is the newly elected Executive Director of ATWS.

Taiwanese hosts exhibited the utmost hospitality and warmth towards their United States and other foreign guests. On the evening of December 28, Dr. Chen Wei-Jao, President of National Taiwan University (NTU) hosted a welcoming banquet at the famous Grand hotel in Taipei, and on December 29, participants were treated to another banquet hosted by Dr. Eugene Y.H. Chien, Minister of Foreign Affairs,Republic of China. Banquet speaker was Dr. Michael Ying-mao Kau, Deputy Foreign Minister, who gave an address, "Opportunities and Challenges: Taiwan's Diplomacy in the Globalization Era," which is published in this issue of JTWS . The Keynote Banquet, hosted by the Chair of the National Policy Foundation, Dr. Chan Lien, was held on December 30 at the Sze Yuan Hall, Koumintang Party Building Dining Room. The keynote address was given by Ying-Jeo Ma, Mayor of Taipei, who discussed the role of the internet in solving city problems. The Presidential Address, "Toward a Pan-Third Worldism: A Challenge to the Association of Third World Studies," was presented by Dr. Abdul Karim Bangura, President of ATWS, 2001-2002, who teaches at American University and is director of the African Institution, Washington, DC.

The prestigious ATWS "Presidential Award" for 2002 was presented to Dr. Steve Y. Rhee. Dr. Rhee, a charter member of ATWS, who served as President of the organization between 2000 and 2001, is an expert in Korean Affairs who teaches at Armstrong Atlantic State University.

Additionally, several awards were presented at the Keynote Banquet to recognize individuals who have made significant scholarly contributions to the academic discipline of Third World Studies. The winner of the "Lawrence Dunbar Reddick Memorial Scholarship Award," for the best article on Africa published in 2001 issues of Journal of Third World Studies (JTWS), was Dr. Philip C. Aka, who teaches political science at Chicago State University. His outstanding article, "Education, Economic Development, and Return to Democratic Politics in Nigeria," appeared in Volume 18, No. 1,Spring 2001, JTWS.

The recipient of the "Cecil B. Currey ATWS Book-Length Publications Award," given for the best book published by an ATWS member during the previous academic year, was Dr. Paul A. Rodell, Department of History, Georgia Southern University, for his outstanding study entitled, Culture and Customs of Philippines, published by Greenwood Press.

The conference concluded on December 31 when participants toured the famous Palace Museum as well as Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Taipei Shopping Center, and were treated by their Taiwanese hosts to a delicious lunch at National Taiwan University Student Cafeteria.

Newly elected ATWS officers are: Dr. Shu-hui Wu, Mississippi State University, Executive Director: Dr. William Head, Warner Robins AFB, Ga, President; Dr. A.B. Assensoh, Indiana University, Vice-President/President-Elect; and Dr. Michael Hall, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Executive Council.

The Twenty-First Annual ATWS Meeting will be held at Louisiana State University in Shreveport, Louisiana, November 6-8, 2003.

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