Taiwan Insight

Taiwan’s Austronesian Diplomacy: The Taitung National Museum of Prehistory as an Actor of Museum-Indigenous Diplomacy

Written by Simon Delpeuch. This article examines Taiwan’s Austronesian diplomacy, highlighting the deep tension between the state’s political exploitation of indigenous heritage to counter diplomatic isolation and a more authentic, community-driven approach. It focuses on the National Museum of Prehistory (NMP) as a vital model of informal, reciprocal museum-indigenous diplomacy. By explicitly abandoning Taiwan-centric “origin” narratives, the NMP fosters genuine regional partnerships, despite facing ongoing constraints from broader state agendas and complex geopolitical pressures.

Becoming “Taiwanist”

Written by Wen-chi Li. This article advocates for the institutionalisation of “Taiwanology” and the identity of the “Taiwanist.” Moving beyond traditional European Sinology, Li draws on Deleuzian philosophy to frame this transition not as a rejection, but as a dynamic process of becoming, as an open, fluid space of intellectual resistance that embraces a complex, plural, and planetary dialogue.

Are Taiwanese Technologies Eco-friendly?

Written by Maytapat Pararaman. This article examines the environmental sustainability of Taiwan’s technology sector by exploring the interplay between semiconductor development, environmental governance, and international climate commitments. It argues that while legislation, the RE100 initiative, and COP26 participation have strengthened Taiwan’s green transition, tensions remain between economic competitiveness, democratic geopolitics, and ecological responsibility. Ultimately, the article suggests that eco-friendly technological innovation could become a defining pillar of Taiwan’s future international identity and global credibility.

Are Taiwanese Technologies Eco-friendly?

8 September 2026 NGA Shi Yeu

Two Bird’s-Eye Views: The Historical Interstices of WWII in Contemporary Taiwanese and Japanese Art

7 September 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Tsai Min-Ying. This article puts Taiwanese artist Li Li-chung and Japanese artist Kota Takeuchi in dialogue through their representations of WWII aerial warfare. The author reads their two video works side by side, revealing how artists from Taiwan and Japan each remember and reflect on war, contrasting a colonial view with an imperial view in their differing concerns about aerial warfare and challenging dominant historical narratives. Their nonhuman perspectives expose war’s perceptual violence while demonstrating art’s power to preserve memory and resist future violence.

Evading the Eye in the Sky: Beginning from the Window of a Wartime Photo Studio

4 September 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Tsai Min-Ying. This article examines how wartime air defence shaped Taiwan’s visual culture through a logic of self-concealment. The author traces works by Peng Ruey-lin, Chiu Tzu-Yen, and Huang Tonghong. She argues that colonial practices of hiding from aerial surveillance persist in contemporary art as a collective memory of war, survival, and identity.

Ash and Sugar: A Material History of Taiwan’s Aerial-Warfare Logistics Base Part II

3 September 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Tsai Min-Ying. Following its first part, this article continues to explore the wartime mobilisation and the air war that did not only take place in the air through artists Hsu Chia-Wei and Lo Yi-Chun’s works.

Ash and Sugar: A Material History of Taiwan’s Aerial-Warfare Logistics Base Part I

2 September 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Tsai Min-Ying. This article reframes Taiwan’s World War II air-war experience through the material logistics that sustained Japanese aviation. Tracing sugarcane, molasses, alcohol, and fuel production alongside works by Hsu Chia-Wei and Lo Yi-Chun, the author explores how aerial warfare was materially organised, remembered, and inscribed across Taiwan’s industrial and agricultural landscape.

Crafting ‘Affective Relatedness’: How Emotions Move Taiwanese Gay Men Towards Fatherhood

1 September 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Jung Chen. This article explores how Taiwanese gay men navigate legal barriers to fatherhood via cross-border reproductive technologies. The author introduces “affective relatedness” and argues that emotions, like hope and belonging, are essential drivers for queer parenthood. This framework also illuminates the reciprocal emotional connections forged between the researcher and participants during sociological fieldwork.

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