Jacob Tischer’s talk at Psychology of Pilgrimage
What makes a place home, and how do we build belonging by walking toward it? In this episode of Psychology of Pilgrimage, Heather A. Warfield speaks with Jacob F. Tischer, anthropologist and Global Taiwan Chair at Charles University in Prague, about the great Mazu pilgrimages of Taiwan. Jacob explains why understanding these journeys means setting aside the familiar world religions framework, and he unfolds the meaning of jinxiang, the practice of presenting incense that recharges a deity and links temple to temple across the island. The conversation turns to Mazu herself, the sea goddess whom many Taiwanese understand as a grandmother and confide in across a lifetime, and to the way pilgrimage helps create a sense of Taiwan as home and as nation. Along the way, Heather and Jacob explore sound and silence, generational memory, and the deep human pull toward homecoming.
Podcast is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Jt1St6P7s; for an overview, see https://heatherawarfield.substack.com/p/coming-home-to-a-goddess.
2026 Taipei City Scholarships for Foreign Learners of Chinese (for Czech citizens who are residents of Prague and have not previously received a scholarship for language study in Taiwan)
Monthly stipend of NT$ 25,000 for 12 months, application deadline April 30, 2026.
For more information, please get in touch with the Taiwan Chair well in advance of the deadline.
Jacob Tischer & Ben Sando speaking with Julien Oeuillet on his podcast Taiwan vs. the World hosted at Radio Taiwan International about the nexus between temples and organized crime in Taiwan, including the possibility of criminal gangs operating as a Fifth Column in case of a Chinese military invasion.
Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/en/programnews?uid=4&pid=95452
SMSKT Student Mobility Scholarship in Key Technologies for students with Czech nationality intending to pursue a degree in the following fields: Semiconductors, AI, lasers, autonomous vehicles, smart manufacturing, circular economy, political economy, and related fields
Degrees can be pursued at eleven participating universities across Taiwan; monthly allowance of NT$ 30,000 (BA/MA) and 40,000 (PhD), including a possible extension by three months for internships after completing the degree program; rolling deadline.
For more information, please get in touch with the Taiwan Chair.
Online language courses in Austronesian languages held in the Spring Semester
Link for registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhQ-Iztm96_lyLdHj_DE1HC9T6RWp1o7_TPkAhOzO_uR8V5g/viewform.