Written by Gabrielle Killick. This article examines the poetry of Yen Ai Lin and Hsia Yü through the concept of “phenomenological ecofeminism”. It argues that their representations of bodily and natural fluids challenge patriarchal ideas of femininity, expose the social abjection of women’s bodies, and foreground connections between embodiment, nature, and non-human life in post-Martial Law Taiwanese poetry.
Written by Phoenix, Fung Lam Chan. This article examines Pai Hsien-yung’s Crystal Boys through the relationship between fatherhood, masculinity, and queer identity. It argues that the novel exposes how patriarchal family structures and heterosexual norms marginalise homosexual men, while New Park provides an alternative space of queer kinship and belonging. Yet the novel also highlights the continuing limits of this resistance.
Written by I-Sheng Wang. This article argues that Tsai Ing-wen’s election marks a significant breakthrough for gender equality in Taiwan. The Tsai era changed the political meaning of gender equality by embedding it in Taiwan’s democratic identity and state governance. However, the progress was selective, and Tsai’s legacy of equality also becomes a political asset that remains contested and challenged.
Written by Charles R. Charrington. This article examines the pervasive reality of sexual violence in Taiwan, highlighting its deep historical roots, systemic failures, and modern digital complexities. It analyses how structural vulnerabilities, cultural stigma, and institutional gaps protect perpetrators while silencing survivors. The author underscores the urgent need for robust education, systemic accountability, and targeted reforms to dismantle entrenched rape myths and protect potential victims.
Written by Pei-Chieh Hsu. This article illustrates how state-subsidised assisted reproductive technology has reshaped reproduction in Taiwan, situating Taiwan’s In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) within global pronatalist regimes, fiscal governance, and demographic anxiety. It analyses policy design, comparative fertility outcomes, and ethnographic IVF experiences to show how subsidies engineered technological dependence while reproducing new social, medical, and moral hierarchies.
Written by Elspeth Lewis. Taiwan has the lowest birthrate in the world. This article explores this trend by putting women at its centre, challenging what we thought we knew. Beyond the vague idea of becoming more liberal, it explores the difference between the younger generation and their parents. Moreover, the traditional society does not condone the newly created ideas around dating, sex and relationships either.
