Written by Christopher Joby. Taiwan’s layered history of migration and colonisation produced rich linguistic diversity but also language suppression. Since democratisation, policies and activism have supported revitalisation efforts. The Siraya case highlights how historical research, grassroots movements, and recent legal recognition work together to restore endangered languages, identities and cultural visibility within a pluralistic society.
Written by Nancy Guy. Garbage, or rather, thoughts of garbage, are part of daily life in Taiwan. This is illustrated in the practices of individuals and households as they manage the material byproducts of everyday living. It is also reflected in all manner of creative practice. This post introduces the music of garbage trucks, the ‘Maiden’s Prayer’, not only on the music, but to social context with the music and Taiwan’s ‘throwing garbage’ culture.
Written by Laila Chin-Hui Fan. Taiwan joined the global initiative “Listening to Quiet,” reaffirming its leadership in soundscape conservation. From misty wetlands to the celebrated Quiet Trail, citizens practised deep listening as an ecological and philosophical act. These quiet walks are rooted in years of civic advocacy and reveal an emergent environmental ethic in Taiwan, where attentive listening becomes a form of humility, coexistence, and more-than-human care.
Written by Kuo Ta-Hsin. This piece introduces the Vietnamese presence in Taiwan, through different sonic performances, to link Vietnamese students and/or migrants closer to their home. It is just for instance, In the karaoke rooms and Vietnamese eateries of Taichung, memory meets reality. Voices turn into acts of belonging, and to sing is to remain Vietnamese, even far from home.
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.
Written by Annabel Simpson. Over the summer of 2022, reports of people being trafficked from overseas and being forced to work scamming others in Southeast Asia began to make their way into Western media. This article explores how Taiwan’s lack of international recognition impacts the assistance it can provide to Taiwanese victims trapped in these scam compounds.
