Written by J. Christopher Upton. The author explores Taiwan’s specialised Indigenous court units, established in 2013 to bridge cultural differences within the national judiciary. Examining ethnographic courtroom observations, he details how Indigenous litigants actively perform identity through language, attire, legal knowledge, and advocacy. These “boundary institutions” reveal how Indigenous communities creatively navigate, contest, and reshape state legal spaces.
Written by Simon Delpeuch. This article examines Taiwan’s Austronesian diplomacy, highlighting the deep tension between the state’s political exploitation of indigenous heritage to counter diplomatic isolation and a more authentic, community-driven approach. It focuses on the National Museum of Prehistory (NMP) as a vital model of informal, reciprocal museum-indigenous diplomacy. By explicitly abandoning Taiwan-centric “origin” narratives, the NMP fosters genuine regional partnerships, despite facing ongoing constraints from broader state agendas and complex geopolitical pressures.
Written by Yu-Yueh Tsai. This article examines how government housing policies in Lanyu during the martial law era replaced traditional Tao homes with flawed concrete structures. This modernisation project caused displacement, social upheaval, and long-term trauma. Inadequate reconstruction assistance forced families into debt and incomplete housing, widening inequality and weakening traditional kinship support systems while exacerbating mental health struggles.
Written by Chikara Yanome Toda. Geographically distant but democratically aligned, Taiwan and Mexico both navigate the complex challenge of indigenous political representation. While Taiwan uses identity-based, nationwide reserved seats, Mexico relies on territorial districts requiring community recognition. This article explores how Taiwan’s stable national presence and Mexico’s localised accountability offer vital, cross-regional lessons for modernising minority representation in both democracies.
Written by Wasiq Silan. This article invites us to rethink individualistic academic mobility and advocates for a decolonial approach to international collaboration. Drawing on journeys to New York and Panama with Taiwan’s Millet Ark team, the author introduces Indigenous methodologies such as lmuhuw (singing map/weaving) and qutux niqan (kinship bonds). The author argues that meaningful collaboration requires moving collectively with Elders and youth, transforming travel from knowledge extraction into relational accountability.
Written by Su-Mei Lo. This article illustrates how collaborative curatorial practice transforms museums from static repositories into dynamic arenas of indigenous recovery and knowledge translation. By engaging Amis communities from ’Atolan to Keelung, these projects navigate sociopolitical friction and dismantle the rigid dualism separating ancestral hometowns from urban migrant spaces.
