Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This book examines and reviews some of the key figures in Taiwan Studies to plot the development of the field by revisiting their earlier influential books and bodies of work.
Often autobiographical in detail, each chapter asks the author to discuss the origins of their research and how their engagement with the field has developed since. The contributors then discuss their methodologies, fieldwork and arguments, as well as how their work was received at the time. They also go on to reflect on their chosen methods and core findings, assessing whether they have stood the test of time. Reflecting the diversity of the Taiwan Studies field, subjects covered in this volume include sociology, musicology, linguistics, comparative politics, international relations and anthropology. As such, this comprehensive overview adopts a distinctly interdisciplinary approach to understanding Taiwan.
Painting a picture of the changing state of international Taiwan Studies through the work of leading scholars, this book will be invaluable to students and scholars of Taiwan Studies, Chinese Studies and Asian politics, culture and society.
Synopsis
In the mid to late 1980s academic books on Taiwan were quite rare, but in the intervening years the field has grown across the US and Europe to the golden era it enjoys today as the issue of Taiwan continues to spark debate and often controversy. This book asks some of the key figures in Taiwan studies to plot the development of the Taiwan Studies field by revisiting their earlier influential books or bodies of work. Often autobiographical in detail, each chapter asks the author to discuss their methodologies, their arguments and how their work was received at the time. They then go on to talk about how they feel about the methods now and question whether their findings have stood the test of time. Reflecting the diversity of the Taiwan studies field, subjects covered in this volume include sociology, musicology, linguistics, comparative politics, international relations and anthropology. Moreover, the majority of the revisited books adopt an interdisciplinary approach to understanding Taiwan.