Written by Kate Allanson Conlon. This article traces the early development of women’s footbinding in the 18th century and subsequent ban during Japanese colonial period. As a tradition, footbinding has historical significance, demonstrating how distinct temporalities that viewed and treated women and their bodily freedom.
Written by Alex Yong Kang Chow. This article offers insights into the anti-imperial struggles of the Taiwanese and Hong Kong diasporas through the book Island X. This article contextualises the diaspora experiences historically through Cold War geopolitics and left-leaning activism since the 1970s.
Written by Leona Chen. This article is republished from Taiwaneseamerican.org. It explores how Island X brings important conversation to different generations of Taiwanese Americans, and the meaning of the book as an opening and invitation for people to rethink about the diaspora community’s history and lived experiences.
Written by Wendy Cheng. This article introduces Cheng’s 2023 book Island X: Taiwanese Student Migrants, Campus Spies, and Cold War Activism. The book tells the political history of a generation of Taiwanese who migrated to the US as students from the 1960s to the 1980s during the late Cold War and KMT martial law, and who became politically active in struggles for democracy, human rights, and Taiwan independence.
Written by Ling-Ming Huang. Taiwan’s semiconductor industry grew significantly in the 1970s and 1980s, driven by important government-led strategies aimed at developing manufacturing capabilities for integrated circuit (IC) products in Taiwan. These initiatives laid the foundation for Taiwan’s global dominance in the semiconductor sector and facilitated the establishment of key corporations like TSMC.
Written by Ai-Ting Chung. This article examines the changing discourse around the Taoyuan Martyrs’ Shrine since it was built in 1938. The author argues that it demonstrates the transformation of Taiwan’s national identity shaped by coloniality and the impact of neoliberalism in turning identity as consumable products.
Written by Yang-Hsun Hou, Nikal Kabala’an (a.k.a. Margaret Yun-Pu Tu), and Huiyu Lin. As the Taiwan government has been pushing efforts for Indigenous Language Revitalization and Reclamation, this article highlights the importance of transitioning from government-led preservation to community-based, Indigenous-led education approaches, ensuring that culturally sustaining practices are truly integrated into Indigenous language teaching and learning.
Written by Wasiq Silan. This article critiques the superficial integration of Indigenous perspectives within Taiwan’s multiculturalist policy framework, arguing for a transformative approach that prioritises Indigenous knowledge systems in long-term care policies. Highlighting the idea of “weaving knowledge,” it seeks to recentre Indigenous onto epistemologies and challenge the deep-rooted colonial present.
Written by Yulia Nesterova. Although Taiwan has made remarkable progress in transforming into a flourishing multicultural democracy over the past three decades, it still faces challenges in fully decolonising its multicultural vision. Focusing on education policies, this article highlights the need for further actions to address historical injustices and reconciliation.
Written by Yu-Chen Chuang. In 2023, Taiwanese society faced numerous instances of discrimination against Indigenous peoples. This article points out the critical need to envision an education system that not only acknowledges but actively commits to healing the wounds of settler colonialism.
Written by Zuzule Demalalade & Tien-Li Schneider. When we believe that there is power behind every object, it signifies our departure from mundane perspectives and a return to the cosmic space we share with our ancestors. As Indigenous cultural curators based in Taiwan, our involvement with the Kuroshio Odyssey: Maritime Memories, Culture, and Landscapes (hereafter KO) exhibition project began on an ordinary workday when KO’s curator, Jiun-Yu, returned from the United States to Taiwan and visited our office one afternoon. He mentioned that the Burke Museum had some collections from Taiwan’s Indigenous tribes. Together with Nikal (Margaret), a law doctoral student at the University of Washington with Amis Indigenous roots in Taiwan, they were planning an exhibition on Taiwanese Indigenous artefacts. This sparks the idea of collaboratively establishing an online platform, a digital bridge across the 14-hour time difference between Taiwan’s Indigenous artefacts and the Burke Museum’s exhibits.
Written by Sra Kacaw (Bo-Jun Chen). While planning the Kuroshio Odyssey exhibition, I had a discussion with Margaret Yun-Pu and Jiun-Yu Liu. Margaret invited Indigenous communities in Taiwan to collaborate, prompting me to search for colleagues who might accompany me. I started by pinpointing the topics we aimed to share through the exhibition. As the Kuroshio Current flows through Eastern Taiwan, what are the ethnic groups living in that area? How can we introduce the marine and material culture to the people in Seattle?
Taiwan Insight 