Culture and society – Page 2

Singing for the Mountain Lands: A Pivotal Indigenous Music Concert in Taiwan

1 December 2025 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Eric Scheihagen. The author illustrates the 1984 Singing for the Mountain Lands concert in Taipei, organised shortly after the Haishan Coal Mine Disaster, which killed mostly Amis miners. It details how Indigenous musicians and activists, led by Hu Defu, used the concert to raise funds and publicly address discrimination, harmful stereotypes, and political issues. The event became an important milestone in Taiwan’s growing Indigenous rights movement and helped catalyse later organising efforts, including the formation of the Taiwan Association for Promoting Indigenous Rights.

Hopeful Reset or Regression? Cheng Li-wun through the eyes of younger Taiwanese

26 November 2025 Adrian Chiu

Written by Aleksandrs Gross. This article examines Cheng Li-wun’s leadership through the eyes of the younger generation. Not only did her statements on identity and Taiwan’s future fail to resonate with younger people, but she also failed to address livelihood issues such as high housing prices, inflation and employment pressure, which are seen as the most critical issues for younger Taiwanese.

Redefining Super Aged: Taiwan’s Path in an Ageing Era

3 November 2025 Adrian Chiu

Written by Gita T. This article examines Taiwan’s demographic transition and explores community-based strategies that could delay dementia onset and strengthen resilience, drawing on cultural practices as a preventive policy. It suggests three policy shifts that could build on Taiwan’s cultural strengths without requiring new billion-dollar infrastructure.

Vietnam Kinmen Association (Fuji Temple): A Symbol of Taiwan’s Soft Diplomacy in Saigon before 1975

28 October 2025 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Meiyuan Kou. This article traces the history of the Kinmen Association (Fuji Temple) in Saigon-Cholon, established in the early 1970s as both a religious hub for Kinmen migrants and a channel of Taiwan’s soft diplomacy in South Vietnam. It examines how this small community institution fostered transnational ties, cultural continuity, and identity preservation across shifting political landscapes before and after 1975.

Of Swallows and Nests: The Migration Trajectories of Kinmen’s Wartime Generation and Their Return Home

27 October 2025 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Junbin Tan. This article traces the Lin family’s multigenerational migration from wartime Kinmen Island to Southeast Asia and beyond. Anchored in an ethnographic encounter with Grandma Lin and her family, the author follows the Lins’ migratory trajectories of departure, separation and eventual return, revealing how Kinmenese mobility was shaped by political restriction, economic necessity, and the moral economies of kinship.

Taiwan’s Food Culture as a Cure for Overtourism

24 October 2025 Adrian Chiu

Written by Gita T. This article argues that Taiwan has a chance to avoid overtourism and achieve ESG goals by leveraging its food culture. Taiwan’s snack-based dining offers a natural way to spread visitors beyond overcrowded sites. This could include gamified snack trails, an authentic cultural experience, and curated insider routes for continuity travellers.

NATSA 2025 Conference Note: A Cross-Cultural Literary Dialogue Against the Mainstream

22 October 2025 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Yun-Pu Tu. This article reflects on the “Otherwise Literature: Against the Mainstream” panel, a collaboration between NATSA and the National Museum of Taiwan Literature, which explored how storytelling bridges cultures and challenges dominant narratives. Featuring writers and translators including Shawna Yang Ryan, Lya Shaffer Osborn, and Yung-ta Chien, the event highlighted the power of words and storytelling to connect communities and imagine Taiwan otherwise.

Island Research and Archipelagic Thinking in and beyond Taiwan

21 October 2025 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Yi-Yu Lai. This article examines how a roundtable at the 2025 NATSA rethinks Taiwan through the lens of Island Studies. Drawing on case studies from Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Palau, Lanyu, and Batanes, it explores how islandness complicates questions of identity, scale, and connection within and beyond Taiwan.

The Unresolved Housing Problem in Taiwan

15 October 2025 Yu-Chen

Written by Yi-Ling Chen. This article traces Taiwan’s housing transformation, arguing that the state’s role remains central, and that its interventions have facilitated commodification, speculation, and inequality in Taiwan’s housing sector. It calls for restoring housing’s use value and reimagining it as a basic necessity.

Why Taiwan’s Family Businesses Still Rule and Why It Matters

13 October 2025 Yu-Chen

Written by Zong-Rong Lee. As part of the Taiwan Insight–IJTS special issue on the Topical Section “Transitions and Challenges in Taiwan’s Economy and Society,” this article presents Zong-Rong Lee’s study on Taiwan’s enduring family capitalism. It traces how political patronage, kinship networks, and market reforms sustained family dominance, raising concerns about competition and long-term adaptability.

Introduction to The Topical Section on ‘Transitions and Challenges in Taiwan’s Economy and Society’

8 October 2025 Yu-Chen

Written by Zong-Rong Lee and Thung-Hong Lin. This article introduces the Taiwan Insight–IJTS special issue on the Topical Section “Transitions and Challenges in Taiwan’s Economy and Society.” Initiated as an open invitation to scholars worldwide, the Topical Section reflects on Taiwan’s economic transformation, convening debate on structural shifts, their consequences, and the pressing challenges shaping Taiwan’s future.

Decolonial Art as a Form of Truth Telling and Indigenous Resistance

3 October 2025 Adrian Chiu

Written by Choesang Scholer. Despite the pressures of external forces on Indigenous land and domain, Indigenous community members utilise art as a medium for political protest to amplify their concerns when their government fails to do so. This article explores the way in which identity-building expression appears through various forms of art.

« 1 2 3 4 … 55 »