Cultural Discourse in Taiwan by Chin-Chuan ChengMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A collection of essays, most of which deal with Taiwanese literature in some form. As with any collection of essays, these are hit or miss. Some points I found interesting:
- The similarities between post-war Taiwan and Korea, from having a (US-backed) dictator, to the Kaohsiong incident in 1979 and the Kwangju uprising in 1980, to protests and gradual reform, to democratic elections (Seoul olympics in 88 and Chiang Ching-kuo's death in 87 both helped).
- The essay on Malaysian-Chinese authors in Taiwan.
- The ancestral origin entry in birth certificates was only removed in 1992!
- The whole essay on the various origins of people living in Taiwan
Also, most of the essays seem to mention or refer to Homi Bhabha's "The Location of Culture" for some reason, so I think I should read that at some point.
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