Written by Shih-An Wang. The author explains how Taiwanese legal scholarship has shifted from foreign-centred doctrines to contextual, historically grounded approaches emphasising Taiwan’s layered legal identity. Through Tay-sheng Wang’s influence, legal history reveals law as dynamic and contingent. This perspective informs constitutional studies, highlighting democracy’s fragility, authoritarian legacies, and Taiwan’s evolving legal system as an ongoing, multi-layered narrative.
Written by Yu-Han Huang. Reflecting on formative undergraduate experiences, the author traces how studying Japanese colonial Taiwan and reading Leo Ching’s Becoming “Japanese” shaped his academic path. Ching’s analysis of colonial identity formation, despite criticisms, offered a framework to understand Taiwan’s complex identity and revealed how colonial legacies continue to influence Taiwanese self-consciousness.
Written by Aleksandrs Gross. This final piece of the special issue reflects on the challenges and approaches to studying Taiwan for the scholars interviewed. Despite the lack of institutionalised academic pathways and fragmented funding compared to other regional studies, there are approaches that, while not guaranteeing academic success, do significantly increase one’s chances of making a passion for Taiwan academically viable.
Written by Aleksandrs Gross and Gunter Schubert. Gunter Schubert believes that maintaining some distance from the object of inquiry is sensible for analytical clarity and intellectual independence. The field of Taiwan studies cannot be a discipline in and of itself; it must span disciplines. Reflecting on his own academic journey, he believes that an academic career cannot be planned and that each step is valuable.
Written by Aleksandrs Gross. Chun-yi Lee’s path into Taiwan Studies was the result of following research questions that matched her interests and skills. She chose to study the island from the outside within a specific academic discipline. As the director of the Taiwan Research Hub at Nottingham University, she sees herself as a communicator, sharing what she knows, and as a facilitator, encouraging others to explore further.
Written by Aleksandrs Gross. Prof. Niki J.P. Alsford’s journey into the field of Taiwan studies was the result of a series of interests, each of which brought him a little closer to Taiwan. He remains optimistic about the future of Taiwan studies in offering cultural intelligence beyond surface familiarity, and also believes that remaining open, and saying yes to all opportunities is crucial for aspiring scholars.
