Mastodawn

Two books about Taiwan, written three decades apart, reveal shifts in academic and journalistic discourse

"Reading these two books side by side offers more than a comparison of two authors or two historical moments. It reveals a deeper transformation in how Taiwan itself has changed, and how it is understood, narrated, and situated within global knowledge."

https://taiwaninsight.org/2026/05/07/from-chinas-last-frontier-to-ghost-nation-rethinking-taiwan-across-three-decades-of-change/

#Taiwan #TaiwanStudies #books #台灣

From ‘China’s Last Frontier’ to ‘Ghost Nation’: Rethinking Taiwan Across Three Decades of Change

Written by Ming-Yeh T. Rawnsley. The article compares Simon Long’s 1991 book, Taiwan: China’s Last Frontier and Chris Horton’s recent publication, Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and Its Struggle…

Taiwan Insight

David on Formosa Apr 22

A review of Lev Nachman's book Contested Taiwan. The review focuses on the Sunflower Movement and the formation of the New Power Party. It calls the book's theoretical arguments about contested state theory "padding". I thought the theory was important and that Nachman added some very Taiwan specific context to it.

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2026/04/23/2003856078

#Taiwan #TaiwanStudies #book #NPP #台灣 #時代力量 #政治 #sovereignty

Book review: From sunflowers to party politics

台北時報

David on Formosa Mar 16

Some advice about working in the field of Taiwan Studies

"Compared to [China Studies, Japan Studies and Korea Studies], Taiwan Studies is much more politically sensitive, smaller in size, and younger in age, though of increasing importance. As a result, much of the research funding and programme infrastructure supporting other regional fields is still underdeveloped for the field of Taiwan Studies."

https://taiwanwatcher.substack.com/p/taiwan-studies-as-a-field-of-activism

#Taiwan #TaiwanStudies #台灣
台灣

Taiwan Studies as a Field of Activism

The field of Taiwan Studies faces significant constraints that distinguish it from China, Korea and Japan Studies. Consequently, entering and building the field is more than an academic pursuit.

台灣 Identity Island

David on Formosa Mar 8

Jenna Lynn Cody reviews Mark Harrison and Catherine Chou's book Revolutionary Taiwan

"Revolutionary Taiwan understands this [the PRC is the aggressor state], and gives the reader all the reasons they need to understand and appreciate Taiwan’s struggle for what it really is: a struggle for identity and dignity."

https://open.substack.com/pub/laorencha/p/book-review-revolutionary-taiwan

#Taiwan #TaiwanStudies #books #台灣

Book Review: Revolutionary Taiwan

New ways of looking at Taiwanese history to frame current issues clearly

Lao Ren Cha

David on Formosa Mar 6

Interview with Dr Chun-yi Lee of the Nottingham University about the development of Taiwan Studies. Dr Lee is director of the Taiwan Studies program at Nottingham which publishes the online magazine Taiwan Insight

https://taiwaninsight.org/2026/03/06/defining-taiwan-studies/

#Taiwan #TaiwanStudies #university #台灣

Defining Taiwan Studies

Written by Aleksandrs Gross. Chun-yi Lee’s path into Taiwan Studies was the result of following research questions that matched her interests and skills. She chose to study the island from the outs…

Taiwan Insight

David on Formosa Feb 5

New report on Australia-Taiwan relations by the United States Studies Centre at University of Sydney

"In Australia, the use of caution as the default framework for engagement with Taipei, along with our longstanding reductionist debate, has fundamentally hampered any crafting of a sophisticated long-term policy position on Taiwan."

https://www.ussc.edu.au/australia-taiwan-relations-policy-options-and-priorities-for-engagement

#Taiwan #auspol #TaiwanStudies #台灣 #澳洲

Australia-Taiwan relations: Policy options and priorities for engagement

David on Formosa Feb 4

Just published: Public Support for Taiwan’s Bluebird Movement and Legislative Reform

"This study examines how independent voters differed from partisan voters in their responses to one of the most defining political moments in recent years, the legislative reform, and the subsequent Bluebird movement, one of the largest social protests in Taiwan since 2014."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/china-quarterly/article/feeling-blue-public-support-for-taiwans-bluebird-movement-and-legislative-reform/E0894E8FD10C44FB9D1961D4FCF48258

#Taiwan #TaiwanStudies #politics #democracy #台灣 #政治

Feeling Blue: Public Support for Taiwan’s Bluebird Movement and Legislative Reform | The China Quarterly | Cambridge Core

Feeling Blue: Public Support for Taiwan’s Bluebird Movement and Legislative Reform

Cambridge Core

David on Formosa Jan 7

New book: U.S. Allies and the Taiwan Strait - available for free download

"Against the backdrop of worsening tensions across the Taiwan Strait, this Element analyzes the positions and policies vis-à-vis Taiwan of six major democratic US treaty allies-Japan, Australia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Germany-and the European Union."

https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/us-allies-and-the-taiwan-strait/EA653A2841F5EB0A12120161B11A54B0

#Taiwan #China #TaiwanStudies #台灣 #中國