The last decade of the 20th century witnessed rapid changes not only in global politics but also in Taiwans quests for new identities. The notorious martial law was lifted in July 1987, and long-repressed calls for democratization began to be heard that caught worldwide attention. In tandem with economic transformation, the entire world of thought in Taiwan underwent significant changes. Both economic and ideological restructuring have been basic elements of transformation in postwar Taiwan. However, rapid democratization has opened a Pandoras box, and stirred a whirlwind of discord. Taiwan in Transformation: 1895-2005 elaborates on the where from and the where to of the Taiwan transformation and attempts to answer such questions as: Is the old Taiwanese work ethic just a relic of the past? Is Taiwan going to become an Armageddon of ideological wars?
The last decade of the twentieth century witnessed rapid changes not only in global politics but also in Taiwan's quests for new identities. The notorious martial law was lifted in July 1987, and long-repressed calls for democratization began to be heard that caught worldwide attention. In tandem with economic transformation, the entire world of thought in Taiwan underwent significant changes. Both economic and ideological restructuring have been basic elements of transformation in postwar Taiwan. However, rapid democratization has opened a Pandora's box, and stirred a whirlwind of discord. This volume elaborates on the "where from" and the "where to" of the Taiwan transformation and attempts to answer such questions as: Is the old Taiwanese work ethic just a relic of the past? Is Taiwan going to become an Armageddon of ideological wars? Chapters deal with the vicissitudes of Taiwanese nostalgia for cultural China; postwar Taiwan in historical perspective, in particular the rise and fall of the agrarian culture; the transformation of farmers' social consciousness in the period 1950-1970; Confucianism in postwar Taiwan: historical, philosophical, and sociological; the case of Hsu Fu-kuan, which provides an epic case of the intertwining of cultural crisis with personal crisis; the development and metamorphoses of Taiwanese consciousness in the unfolding political context, the awakening of the "self"; and finally "mutual historical understanding" as the basis for Taiwan-Mainland relations in the twenty-first century. Taiwan in Transformation seeks to show that historical insights extrapolated from an understanding of history are essential for grasping and solving the basic problems facing Taiwan at present, including the Taiwan-Mainland relationship in the twenty-first century. It will be of interest to Chinese area specialists, sociologists, and historians.
The last decade of the twentieth century witnessed rapid changes not only in global politics but also in Taiwan's quests for new identities. The notorious martial law was lifted in July 1987, and long-repressed calls for democratization began to be heard that caught worldwide attention. In tandem with economic transformation, the entire world of thought in Taiwan underwent significant changes. Both economic and ideological restructuring have been basic elements of transformation in postwar Taiwan. However, rapid democratization has opened a Pandora's box, and stirred a whirlwind of discord. This volume elaborates on the "where from" and the "where to" of the Taiwan transformation and attempts to answer such questions as: Is the old Taiwanese work ethic just a relic of the past? Is Taiwan going to become an Armageddon of ideological wars? Chapters deal with the vicissitudes of Taiwanese nostalgia for cultural China; postwar Taiwan in historical perspective, in particular the rise and fall of the agrarian culture; the transformation of farmers' social consciousness in the period 1950-1970; Confucianism in postwar Taiwan: historical, philosophical, and sociological; the case of Hsu Fu-kuan, which provides an epic case of the intertwining of cultural crisis with personal crisis; the development and metamorphoses of Taiwanese consciousness in the unfolding political context, the awakening of the "self"; and finally "mutual historical understanding" as the basis for Taiwan-Mainland relations in the twenty-first century. Taiwan in Transformation seeks to show that historical insights extrapolated from an understanding of history are essential for grasping and solving the basic problems facing Taiwan at present, including the Taiwan-Mainland relationship in the twenty-first century. It will be of interest to Chinese area specialists, sociologists, and historians. Chun-chieh Huang is a professor of history at National Taiwan University and research fellow at Academia Sinica, Taipei. His recent works include Mencian Hermeneutics: A History of Interpretations in China, available from Transaction.
The last decade of the twentieth century witnessed rapid changes not only in global politics but also in Taiwan's quests for new identities. The notorious martial law was lifted in July 1987, and long-repressed calls for democratization began to be heard that caught worldwide attention. In tandem with economic transformation, the entire world of thought in Taiwan underwent significant changes. Both economic and ideological restructuring have been basic elements of transformation in postwar Taiwan. However, rapid democratization has opened a Pandora's box, and stirred a whirlwind of discord. This volume elaborates on the "where from" and the "where to" of the Taiwan transformation and attempts to answer such questions as: Is the old Taiwanese work ethic just a relic of the past? Is Taiwan going to become an Armageddon of ideological wars? Chapters deal with the vicissitudes of Taiwanese nostalgia for cultural China; postwar Taiwan in historical perspective, in particular the rise and fall of the agrarian culture; the transformation of farmers' social consciousness in the period 1950-1970; Confucianism in postwar Taiwan: historical, philosophical, and sociological; the case of Hsu Fu-kuan, which provides an epic case of the intertwining of cultural crisis with personal crisis; the development and metamorphoses of Taiwanese consciousness in the unfolding political context, the awakening of the "self"; and finally "mutual historical understanding" as the basis for Taiwan-Mainland relations in the twenty-first century. Taiwan in Transformation seeks to show that historical insights extrapolated from an understanding of history are essential for grasping and solving the basic problems facing Taiwan at present, including the Taiwan-Mainland relationship in the twenty-first century. It will be of interest to Chinese area specialists, sociologists, and historians.
George Leslie Mackay (1844–1901), the famous Canadian Presbyterian missionary who came to northern Formosa (Taiwan) in 1872 and preached specifically with aborigines in mind, is the subject of an interdisciplinary study by seven independent scholars interested in the nineteenth-century imperial project and Christian mission to China. Importantly, Mackay’s mission defies such binary opposites as East and West: the missionary a conduit of an earlier Scottish-Canadian spirituality adapted to Taiwan that allowed converts to appropriate the Presbyterian faith on their own terms; the mission field in which he operated a “biculture” of foreign initiative and aboriginal agency working hand in hand. Mackay’s ordination of aboriginal ministers, giving us the Northern Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan (PCT), was a bold departure from the imperial, Anglo-Canadian, Presbyterian norm. So, too, his marriage to a Taiwanese slave-girl, Chhang-mia, and the arranged interracial marriages that he performed between select Chinese ministers and female Taiwanese graduates (which included his two daughters). Mackay’s missionary writing and famous autobiography From Far Formosa—a fine specimen of the nineteenth-century heroic memoir genre—is notable for its defense of both gender and racial equality, and despite its unmistakable patriarchal leanings. Mackay’s repudiation of Darwinism and belief in an early type of creation science therein also locates the so-called “Barbarian Bible Man” opposite such virulent, racist theorizing as Social Darwinism and Eugenics. He was a dentist not an abortionist. A relative unknown to most Western scholars of religion, Mackay is Taiwan’s most famous native son, represented on the national stage in 2008 as a sky god and Taiwanese animistic deity of supernatural power and political influence par excellent. Although a product of the colonial times in which he lived, post-colonial scholars who ignore Mackay, his life and legacy, clearly do so at some peril.
The initiative and leadership for this edited volume came from the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS) based in Brussels. The book discusses questions related to the different European perspectives on Taiwan in various fields, asking, in particular: How has the European Union dealt with the unsolved status of the Republic of China on Taiwan? In which ways has Europe been seen as a model for Taiwan’s transformation, and, does the example of the EU offer any lessons for cross-Strait integration? Furthermore, the authors, well-known specialists drawn from disciplines, such as, economics, political science, international law, history, and cultural studies, are equally interested in Taiwan’s perspectives on Europe and in the historical relationship between Taiwan and Europe.
The police in Taiwan played a critical role in the largely peaceful transition from an authoritarian regime to a democracy. While the temptation to intervene in domestic politics was great, the top-down pressure to maintain a neutral standing facilitated an orderly regime change. This is the first monograph to examine the role of the police as a linkage between the state and civil society during the democratic transition and the role of the police in contemporary Taiwan. Starting with a brief history of Taiwan, this book examines the development of policing in Taiwan from a comparative, environmental, historical, operational, philosophical and political perspective; considers the role of the police in the democratic transition; and draws comparisons between police cultures in the East and in the West – both now and in the past. Taiwan operates as a modern country within an East Asian culture and this book shows that Taiwan’s move towards democracy may have political ramifications for the rest of the nations in the area. Including references to literature on policing in China and the U.S, this book about Taiwan police may serve as a springboard for academics and students to learn about similar cultures in this important area of the world. Policing in Taiwan will be of interest to academics and students who are engaged in the study of criminology, criminal justice, policing studies and Asian studies, as well as the general reader.
This book presents a cogent but comprehensive review of Taiwan’s socio-economic transformation from a Japanese colony to a thriving East Asian mini-state. Since the 1980’s, Taiwan has primarily been viewed as a thriving economic model. Though certainly true, this assessment belies the amazing social and political success story for 23 million people on a small New Hampshire-sized island just off the China coast. Metzler highlights the engaging political narrative of democratization as well as Taiwan’s noteworthy accomplishments despite the proximity and opposition of communist China. Further, the result of the 2016 elections and its implication are analyzed. Scholars studying East Asia and policy makers will gain a greater appreciation for the island’s dynamic, prosperous resilience, despite pressure from China.
General Education has taken center stage in the greater China area (Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China) because of a number of important developments. First, globalization has created both opportunities and challenges for college students. When they graduate and enter the real world, they must have the cultural sensitivities and social skills, in addition to their professional training, to compete in a knowledge-based global economy. Equally significant for institutions of higher education, pressing global problems challenge traditional disciplines and demand new forms of learning that reshapes the boundaries of knowledge. In response to those rapidly changing dynamics, general education has taken an increasingly important role in undergraduate education. As the first English publication on the subject, this anthology brings together a distinguished group of General Education scholars and teachers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China.
Mobilizing for Development tackles the question of how countries achieve rural development and offers a new way of thinking about East Asia's political economy that challenges the developmental state paradigm. Through a comparison of Taiwan (1950s–1970s), South Korea (1950s–1970s), and China (1980s–2000s), Kristen E. Looney shows that different types of development outcomes—improvements in agricultural production, rural living standards, and the village environment—were realized to different degrees, at different times, and in different ways. She argues that rural modernization campaigns, defined as policies demanding high levels of mobilization to effect dramatic change, played a central role in the region and that divergent development outcomes can be attributed to the interplay between campaigns and institutions. The analysis departs from common portrayals of the developmental state as wholly technocratic and demonstrates that rural development was not just a byproduct of industrialization. Looney's research is based on several years of fieldwork in Asia and makes a unique contribution by systematically comparing China's development experience with other countries. Relevant to political science, economic history, rural sociology, and Asian Studies, the book enriches our understanding of state-led development and agrarian change.
