Dr. Skaya SIKU is of Seejiq Truku descent in Nantou, Taiwan. Following a multidisciplinary training in Political Science, Cinema and Anthropology in Taiwan and in France, she received a Ph.D. specialized in visual anthropology at EHESS in Paris. She focuses on the shifting landscapes of Taiwan Indigenous peoples’ cultural activism, cinema heritage and mediascape.
She currently works as an assistant research fellow at the Research Center for Indigenous Education, National Academy for Educational Research. She seeks to promote more cross-cultural discussions by encouraging self-reflexive writing and trans-disciplinary thinking.
Her work is driven by an acute awareness of the current historical and political moment, as Taiwan faces a turning point of transitional and historical justice, not only for healing the collective trauma of White Terror but also for returning rights to Indigenous Peoples. In this context, she is passionate about contributing to the development of Taiwanese theories, Indigenous?knowledges, and gender studies through diverse educational research and artistic project.
Moreover, she was also a board member to the Taiwan Women’s Film Association, Taiwan Association of Visual Ethnography and the Educational Committee for the Sediq Toda/Seediq Tgdaya/Seejiq Truku Nation.