Course Description:
This course provides an overview of Taiwan cultural history from 1895 (the Japanese ruled period), 1949 (the KMT cultural policy), 1987 (the end of Martial Law) to the 1990s. Focusing in particular on people’s everyday life, local beliefs, entertainment and habits, also taking on other art forms such as photography and music, we will examine how historical events and social background have influenced the controversial issue of ‘Taiwanese identity’. There will be literature and film seminars that focus on specific texts which lead to a broader understanding of the Taiwanese culture.
Schedule:
Week01: Introduction: Before 1895
Week02: Japanese Ruled Period: 1895-1945 (I)
Week03: Japanese Ruled Period: 1895-1945 (II)
Week04: Literature Seminar: Cheng Ching-Wen, Three-Legged Horse
Week05: 1950s: Post-War and the U.S. Aid
Week06: (Holiday)
Week07: Literature Seminar: Wang Chen-Ho, Rose, Rose, I Love You
Week08: Film Seminar: Hou Hsiao-Hsien, A City of Sadness
Week09: 1960s: The ‘Modern’ World?
Week10: Literature Seminar: Wang Wen-Hsing, Family Catastrophe
Week11: Film Seminar: Edward Yang, A Brighter Summer Day
Week12: 1970s: Impact of the Nativist Movement
Week13: Literature Seminar: Pai Hsien-Yung, Taipei People
Week14: 1980s: Before and After the End of Martial Law
Week15: Film Seminar, Wu Nien-Jen, A Borrowed Life (Duo San)
Week16: 1990s: The Consumption Boom
Week17: Film Seminar: Ang Lee, Eat Drink Man Woman
Week18: Final Presentation
Implementation method:
Lecture, Seminar, Group Discussion
Grading Policy:
Participation: 10%
Literature Seminar: 40%
Film Seminar: 40%
Final Presentation: 10%
References:
Chris Berry and Feii Lu (eds), Taiwan New Cinema and After, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University, 2005.
Melissa Brown, Is Taiwan Chinese? : the Impact of Culture, Power, and Migration on Changing Identities, Berkeley: University of California, 2004.
Wan-Yao Chou, A New Illustrated History of Taiwan, translated by Carole Plackitt and Tim Casey ,Taipei: SMC Publishing, 2015.
Cathy Erway, The Food of Taiwan, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.
Guo-Juin Hong, Taiwan Cinema: a Contested Nation on Screen, New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
Ping-Hui Liao& David Der-Wei Wang (eds), Taiwan Under Japanese Colonial Rule, 1895-1945: History, Culture, Memory, New York: Columbia University, 2006.
Shyu-Tu Lee& Jack F. Williams (eds), Taiwan’s Struggle : Voices of the Taiwanese, Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
Jonathan Manthorpe, Forbidden Nation : a History of Taiwan, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
Brice Minnigh& Stephen Keeling, The Rough Guide to Taiwan, London : Rough Guides, 2007.
Andrew Morris (eds), Japanese Taiwan: Colonial Rule and its Contested Legacy, London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2015.
Shelley Rigger, Why Taiwan Matters: Small Island, Global Powerhouse, Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
Murray Rubinstein (eds.), Taiwan: a New History, Armonk, N.Y. : M.E. Sharpe, 2007.
June Yip, Envisioning Taiwan: Fiction, Cinema, and the Nation in the Cultural Imaginary, Durham: Duke University Press, 2004.