Taiwan is too often reduced to a geopolitical abstraction, but this essay reads the island as a body — one that carries the trauma of colonisation, the 228 massacre, and the White Terror in its very flesh. Through memorials, indigenous counter-mapping, and the Mazu pilgrimage, Taiwan heals by inscribing its wounds back onto the map: re-membering, in the flesh, as another name for healing
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.
Written by Yung Lin. This article compares Taiwan and the TRNC to explore how de facto states navigate border control, legitimacy, and human security. It argues for people-centred governance and inclusionism as alternative frameworks for building resilience and engaging with global challenges.
Written by Aaron Su. This article discusses the crucial role of photography in consolidating a liberal multicultural order in Taiwan by obscuring dissent through visual depictions of harmonious Indigenous life. Drawing on fieldwork at Taiwan’s Cultural Health Stations, the author shows how photography portrays Indigenous satisfaction with current health policies, leaving little room for the everyday pressures, demands, and disputes.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has diverged since 1949: mainland China standardized it into a state-controlled system for nationalist purposes, while Taiwan developed a more diverse, pluralistic approach that preserves multiple interpretive traditions. Both claim authentic Chinese heritage, but represent fundamentally different visions of how tradition should function in modern society.
Written by Chia-Yu Tang. This article explores how women in Taiwan navigate decisions around birthplace, care providers, and continuity of care. Centring their voices sheds light on how safety, autonomy, and institutional norms are negotiated—contributing to broader discussions on reproductive autonomy and maternity care reform.
