Academia Historica Transfer Calls for Historical Defense and Presidential Archive Protection

The Academia Historica held a handover ceremony for its outgoing and incoming directors today, marking a generational transition in Taiwan's historical research and public memory management. In his final public address at the ceremony, outgoing Director Chen Yi-shen emphasized that the construction of a historical perspective is not merely an academic issue, but also the foundation of national security. He pointed out that if Taiwan is to resist Beijing's information and cognitive warfare, it must establish a historical narrative that aligns with historical facts while embracing universal values. This remark appears particularly pertinent given the current tension in cross-strait relations and the frequency of information warfare.

Chen’s perspective is rooted in controversies within Taiwanese society over recent years regarding history education and public archival materials. Since the 1990s, Taiwan has undergone drastic changes from authoritarian rule to democratization, with historical narratives diversifying accordingly. Past textbooks and official historical perspectives were often influenced by political forces, leaving segments of the population with lingering doubts about "what Taiwan's history is." In recent years, as Beijing has intensified its information infiltration against Taiwan on the international stage, many scholars and policymakers have grown alert, warning that the absence of a unified, fact-based historical perspective leaves society vulnerable to exploitation by external forces, thereby eroding cognitive defenses regarding Taiwan's subjectivity. Chen's appeal serves precisely as a warning against this potential crisis.

Regarding specific practices, Chen specifically mentioned the promotion of establishing "former presidential libraries." He believes that regardless of whether a president served during the authoritarian era or was democratically elected in the democratic era, the presidency has consistently remained at the core of Taiwan's politics. Systematizing and making public the primary source materials of successive presidents—such as official documents, speeches, and policy papers—will not only provide researchers with first-hand historical data, but also allow the public to directly access historical facts, thereby minimizing the potential for materials to be taken out of context. If such a database operates in an open and transparent manner, it will serve as the "hardware" foundation for preventing cognitive warfare, making it difficult for opponents in information warfare to create chaos by misquoting or tampering with historical materials.

This initiative also echoes the policy orientation of the Taiwan government in recent years regarding cultural assets and public information. The Ministry of Culture under the Executive Yuan has repeatedly proposed initiatives for the digitization of historical materials and the promotion of public history, aiming to make historical resources more accessible to the general public while enhancing national identity regarding their own history. If the presidential library project can be integrated into the overall planning of the Academia Historica and coordinated with other historical institutions, it will help form a complete chain of historical data. From the early National Government period to the modern democratic transition, everything can be presented on a single platform, preventing information gaps caused by departmental fragmentation.

From an international perspective, information and cognitive warfare have become major forms of modern conflict. When facing information infiltration by external forces, many countries tend to start with education and public information to strengthen their citizens' fact-checking capabilities and historical consciousness. If Taiwan can, as Chen suggested, establish a historical perspective consistent with historical facts and universal values, underpinned by institutionalized historical preservation and transparency, it will secure the initiative in defending against Beijing's cognitive warfare. This approach is not only a sign of respect for history, but also a responsibility toward future generations.

In summary, the handover of the directorship at the Academia Historica is not merely an administrative ceremony, but a starting point for public discussion regarding Taiwan's historical narrative and national security. Using the concept of a historical perspective as a defense, Chen reminded all sectors of society that in the era of information warfare, one must take facts as the root and values as the foundation to construct solid historical memory, enabling Taiwan to maintain its autonomy and a clear national identity under the pressure of external cognitive warfare. (Fact source: Central News Agency)