Nation-Building in Contemporary Taiwan and its Historic Roots: Colonization, Globalization, Localization
Can you name all the political powers that have had a colonial presence on Taiwan? Why do Taiwanese today look favorably at the Japanese colonial period, when most other places in Asia have a very negative view of that time? How do Taiwanese deal with the ever-looming possibility of war across the Taiwan Strait?
In this introductory class to Taiwan, we will be exploring questions like these. Located at the edge of empires, Taiwan has a unique colonial history that connects Asia, Europe, and North America. We will delve into history from the vantage of contemporary Taiwan, which is both post-colonial and democratic, and investigate what role the colonial experience plays in nation-building today. With this complex historical backdrop, the class will also introduce new, “oceanic” as well as land-based perspectives on Taiwan that have the potential of moving the island and its inhabitants out of the orbit of empire.
Check out SIS course ATJ100360 for further details and a syllabus.
When: Wednesdays, 10:50–12:20
Where: Celetná 20, room C244
Lecturer: Jacob F. Tischer, Ph.D.
Buddhism, Daoism, and Popular Religion in Taiwan: From Local to Global and Back
How can a divinity be god and ghost at the same time? What has made pilgrimages nation-building practices? Why do politicians conduct rituals at local temple festivals? How does the global spread of Taiwanese Buddhism relate to the dynamics of Chinese/Taiwanese identity-formation at home?
These are some of the questions we explore in this class, tracing interactions between different religious traditions but also between religion and politics. Adopting a framework to study lived religion, we will focus on popular religion as it is practiced and experienced in everyday life—and how it shapes political developments on the national level in the process. Meanwhile, organized religious groups from Taiwan have expanded beyond the island and gone global; we will look at case studies of such groups to understand how they a) interact with local traditions and b) influence life in a cosmopolitan, modern society.
Check out SIS course ATJ100362 for further details and a syllabus.
When: Wednesdays, 9:10–10:40
Where: Celetná 20, room C244
Lecturer: Jacob F. Tischer, Ph.D.
State and Society in contemporary East Asia: case studies from Taiwan and China
This course is for MA students who would like to deepen their understanding of state–society relations in China and Taiwan. Going beyond the dichotomies of democracy/authoritarianism, dissidence/compliance, resistance/suppression, and so on, we will explore the temporal connections from the 1950s to the present, uncovering the relevance of each society’s pasts to today’s trends. The scope of the topics to be discussed is very broad, including diverse aspects of social life, from family and cultural engagements to activism and elections. The discussions will place Taiwan and China in a broader, global context, by looking into situations in Eastern and Southeast Asia, Russia, and further.
Check out SIS course ATJ500180 for further details and a syllabus.
When: Tuesdays, 15:00–17:25
Where: Celetná 20, room C117
Lecturers: Jacob F. Tischer, Ph.D., Mariia Guleva, Ph.D.