Written by Aleksandrs Gross.
Image credit: provided by the author.
When compared to China Studies, Japan Studies and Korea Studies, students aspiring to get into the field of Taiwan Studies, and researchers already working within it, face structural challenges that other regional studies do not face, or face on a smaller level. Compared to these fields, Taiwan Studies is much more politically sensitive, smaller in size, and younger in age, though of increasing importance. As a result, much of the research funding and programme infrastructure supporting other regional fields is still underdeveloped for the field of Taiwan Studies.
Although over the last three decades the field of Taiwan Studies has grown to transcend its formerly narrow, China-related security framing, basic problems remain. Students aspiring to go into the field of Taiwan Studies face obstacles from the very outset: there are hardly any bachelor’s or master’s programmes purely focused on Taiwan. The global trend is for Taiwan to be taught as a specialisation track within broader study programmes, such as China Studies or East Asian Studies, if it is taught at all.
The few degree programmes that do focus more exclusively on Taiwan (and are taught in English) include programmes such as the Taiwan Studies Master’s at SOAS, the International Master’s/Doctor’s in Asia-Pacific Studies (IMAS/IDAS), offering a more regionally integrated view of Taiwan, offered by Chengchi University, and the Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP), hosted by Academia Sinica and Consortium Universities. Still, China, Japan and Korea Studies offer a much larger selection of specialisation tracks and standalone degree programmes, when compared to the still emerging Taiwan Studies.
An equally important constraint facing the field is the fragmented nature of Taiwan Studies funding. While Japan and Korea Studies have centralised funding bodies explicitly dedicated to funding the development of their fields around the world (via the Korea Foundation and the Japan Foundation), Taiwan lacks a comparable globally branded, state-operated foundation exclusively dedicated to funding the field. The field must instead rely on a patchwork of funding coming from Taiwanese government agencies, private foundations and local grants, each of which have their own funding priorities and constraints.
The lack of a state-backed funding body exclusively dedicated to the field shapes how scholars position themselves vis-à-vis Taiwan Studies. Scholars researching Taiwan first pursue disciplinary grounding within China Studies, East Asia Studies, or Political Science, for example, and frame their research as a case study within their field. As a result, most Taiwan Studies research is embedded within existing disciplinary frameworks.
The lack of institutionalised academic pathways into Taiwan Studies and the lack of a centralised funding infrastructure supporting Taiwan chairs, professorships and research programmes are significant obstacles confronting the field’s growth and consolidation. Given Taiwan’s growing importance, such obstacles risk Taiwan Studies remaining institutionally underdeveloped relative to the island’s perceived geopolitical and scholarly importance.
Alternative Pathways
Despite the challenges outlined above, there are approaches to studying Taiwan that, while not guaranteeing academic success, do significantly increase one’s chances of making a passion for Taiwan academically viable. Exploring such approaches is the main focus of the following sections of this article.
The following approaches are derived from a series of interviews conducted with some of the leading scholars in Taiwan Studies – Dafydd Fell, Gunter Schubert, Niki J.P. Alsford, Chun-yi Lee, and Ming-yeh Rawnsley in particular. These are approaches that some or each of these scholars mentioned when describing how they developed careers as Taiwan Studies scholars.
Extended, Firsthand Immersion
Starting with the most obvious, and something each of the scholars mentioned, is that firsthand exposure to Taiwanese society is indispensable. The more layers of Taiwanese society one can expose themselves to, the better. For example, connecting not just to academic circles, but also activist organisations, local temple communities, people of very different political persuasions, and even local gangsters, if possible, will provide a much more nuanced understanding of Taiwanese society. Being connected to such groups over an extended period of time is essential in making sure that the research one conducts on Taiwan remains grounded in local realities, rather than becoming caught up in highly abstracted, politically motivated discourses. Being connected to such groups is also useful for gaining access to sources in fieldwork.
Taiwanese Mandarin Proficiency
Besides spending time in Taiwan, and crucial to it, are Mandarin abilities. Specifically, Taiwanese Mandarin is becoming increasingly distinct from mainland forms of Mandarin. In order to understand Taiwan and be well received by the Taiwanese (facilitating access to sources), learning traditional Mandarin and acquiring Taiwanese Mandarin pronunciation goes a very long way. Taiwanese Mandarin differs from Chinese Mandarin not just in writing and pronunciation, but also in vocabulary and subtle grammatical structures. Many of these differences cannot be found in language textbooks. A quick way to become familiar with Taiwanese Mandarin is to expose oneself to current Taiwanese media, such as movies and dramas. While most young people in Taiwan’s large cities speak English, older generations, and people living outside of urban centres, oftentimes prefer to speak in Taiwanese Southern Min, or Mandarin, but not English.
Deep and Wide Reading + Immersion = Crucial in Finding Research Gaps
While getting to know Taiwan on an experiential level, it is also important to read up on existing research about the island. Understanding the existing literature will familiarise one with the existing community of scholars working on Taiwan, which, while much smaller than its Japanese, Chinese or Korean counterparts, is remarkably interdisciplinary. Secondly, a familiarity with the literature, when combined with a personal familiarity with Taiwan, will enable one to spot gaps between what has been written and what has not been described yet or what has changed since. Finding such gaps can inspire PhD projects, books, or even one’s whole academic career trajectory.
Being Specialised in a Specific Discipline
Crucial to the process of finding gaps and to making one’s intellectual contribution academically relevant is specialising in a discipline. As previously mentioned, Taiwan Studies is not a discipline, but a site for interdisciplinary research. Being able to use Taiwan as a case study to treat the research problems of a specific discipline will ensure that one’s academic work is able to speak to audiences outside of Taiwan Studies and will hence boost the island’s academic profile. A disciplinary background also helps one go beyond the narrow framing with which Taiwan is often conceived of in conventional news discourse.
Making Research Comparative
Besides having a disciplinary background, adding a comparative element to one’s study of Taiwan also raises the relevance of one’s research. Understanding Taiwan’s role in larger contexts, such as Taiwan’s relationship with China, with East and South-East Asia, or the West with regard to foreign policy, law, trade and other comparative dimensions, enables one to create bridges between the scholarly communities of different regional studies.
Networking in Taiwan Studies Scholarly Communities
Crucial to conducting cross-disciplinary and cross-field research is establishing it in existing scholarly communities. Attending Taiwan-related academic conferences, seminars, and other events is crucial to becoming integrated in scholarly communities. The Taiwan Studies community is known to be considerably smaller than that of China Studies, Korean Studies and Japan Studies. This means that it is easier to access other scholars, and it is also easier to become noticed within the community.
Embracing Intellectual Drift in Career Development
A recurrent theme that came up in my conversations is how a shifting of one’s research interests is a healthy sign of academic maturation. As one lives in Taiwan, reads widely about Taiwan, explores how Taiwan is studied across different disciplines, and within different regional contexts, it is natural that one’s research interests will shift. Allowing research interests to develop organically, rather than clinging to a narrow and prescribed academic career plan, is more constructive towards building a career in Taiwan Studies. Building a career in Taiwan Studies does not follow a conventional path, for, given the small size of the field, there is no such path. Entering each level of study, be it master’s or other postgraduate study, should be a goal in and of itself, rather than a means to an end.
Geopolitics Shapes Funding Priorities
The current academic environment sees STEM fields prioritised over the humanities. Taiwan Studies is a niche subject not only within the humanities but also in regional studies. Geopolitics plays a large role in the type of Taiwan-related research that gets funded. As cross-straits tensions increase, research topics relating to defence, deterrence, and military strategy receive priority. Geopolitics may raise awareness of Taiwan, but often mainly with regard to security dimensions. Similarly, funding coming from the Taiwanese government also prioritises research that uses a certain framing in how Taiwan is studied. A framing that emphasises Taiwan’s distinctness, in politics, identity, and socio-cultural movements, from the mainland. Being able to position one’s research within such framing is crucial to making it fundable.
Being a Bridge-Builder
Despite its impressive development, Taiwan Studies is still a young, often geopolitically constrained field of study. Basic issues, relating to entering the field and securing research funding, still constrain its development. Consequently, building a career in Taiwan Studies comes with a lot of uncertainty – there is no conventional, established way of doing it. Approaches, such as those outlined above, may help, but a good amount of fortune is also essential.
Each researcher I spoke to made it clear that such uncertainty was a part of their own career development. For each one of them, Taiwan was a field of research they discovered as circumstances, largely beyond their control, naturally unfolded. Specialising in Taiwan was never their initial plan or main focus, but was a later discovery that changed their career trajectory. In the end, it was their passion for Taiwan in spite of career uncertainty that enabled them to develop the field of Taiwan Studies.
The significance of developing the field of Taiwan Studies goes beyond academia. The development of the field does not just serve to produce more academic knowledge about Taiwan, but also to expand Taiwan’s international presence. As courses focusing on Taiwan are incorporated in more curricula—more Taiwan-specialisation tracks are developed, more Taiwan study programmes are established, and journal articles are published—an awareness of Taiwan’s uniqueness grows internationally. Put briefly, to the degree that Taiwan Studies grows academically, a sense of Taiwan, as an importantly distinct region on the world stage, grows with it. In light of the island’s geopolitical constraints, developing the field of Taiwan Studies, unlike China, Korea and Japan Studies, has a distinctly activist nature to it.
Aleksandrs Gross is a freelance journalist focusing on the grassroots development of Taiwanese identity. He is particularly interested in the development of Taiwanese civic society, especially social movements, and how younger generations of Taiwanese respond to the unique political, identity-related and economic challenges of Taiwan. Find more of his writing on New Bloom and his Substack Identity Island.
This article was published as part of a special issue on ‘Taiwan Studies Interviews: What can we learn?’.
Taiwan Insight 