Shih and Liao - Comparatizing Taiwan
Comparatizing Taiwan
by Shu-mei Shih (Editor), Ping-Hui Liao (Editor)
liked it 3.00 · Rating details · 1 rating · 0 reviews
As the site of crossings of colonizers, settlers, merchants, and goods, island nations such as Taiwan have seen a rich confluence of cultures, where peoples and languages were either forced to mix or did so voluntarily, due largely to colonial conquest and their crucial role in world economy. Through an examination of socio-cultural phenomena, Comparatizing Taiwan situates Taiwan globally, comparatively, and relationally to bring out the nation's innate richness.
This book examines Taiwan in relation to other islands, cultures, or nations in terms of culture, geography, history, politics, and economy. Comparisons include China, Korea, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, Ireland, Malaysia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States and the Caribbean, and these comparisons present a number of different issues, alongside a range of sometimes divergent implications. By exploring Taiwan's many relationalities, material as well as symbolic, over a significant historical and geographical span, the contributors move to expand the horizons of Taiwan studies and reveal the valuable insights that can be obtained by viewing nations, societies and cultures in comparison. Through this process, the book offers crucial reflections on how to compare and how to study small nations.
This truly interdisciplinary book will be welcomed by students and scholars interested in Taiwan studies, Sinophone studies, comparative cultural studies, postcolonial studies, and literary studies. (less)
Elle rated it it was amazing
Shelves: taiwan
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BOOK REIVEW
[Comparatizing Taiwan] Expansive socio-cultural texts are compared with and within Taiwan.
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WHAT I LIKED
Shu-mei Shih and Ping-hui Liao explain their newly coined term: "Comparatizing here is a transitive verb that acts directly upon the word 'Taiwan,' so that 'Taiwan' itself becomes an open term that acquires specific meanings in relation to that which it is compared to." Comparative literature is more than taking two concepts that are extremely different or extremely alike. It is a spectrum of inner and outer connections! Comparatizing Taiwan fully embodies this spirit.
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I learned so much about the influences (inner and outer) have and are helping create a unique Taiwanese identity: Taiwanese aboriginals, Hakka, China, United States, Japan, Netherlands, Dublin, etc. Personally, I found so many interesting parallels between the creation of American and Taiwanese identity. We are hyper characterized by cross-cultural hybridity. We have no 'pure' national language, homeland, or ancient shared memory.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
"Tiger's leap into the past" was my least favorite essay because it argued for a new intra-temporal comparison. I didn't feel this new concept was adequately defined in comparison to other temporalities after its introduction before its integration into the whole argument.
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Comparatizing Taiwan (by Shu-mei Shih, Ping-hui Liao) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
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