Why Taiwan?

This book considers why Taiwan matters independent of the China-centric paradigm by both examining anthropological research on Taiwan as well as how to study Taiwan anthropologically, re-asserting the ontological status of Taiwan as a legitimate object of scholarly inquiry.

Shuenn-der Yu is a research fellow at the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan. Anru Lee is Professor of Anthropology and Global Asian Studies at John Jay College, the City University of New York, USA.

Meanings of Why Taiwan? - An Introduction 1.Why Taiwan Mattered: Oral Histories from the US Cold War Anthropology of China in Taiwan 2. Taiwan Doesn't Matter Until It Does, Navigating the Crossroads of China and Taiwan Studies 3. Indigenous Lives Matter, The Relevance of Indigeneity to Taiwan and to Anthropology 4. Learning via a Conduit, An Anthropological Encounter with Taiwan in Mainland China 5. When a Local Invented Tradition Becomes Heritage Culture for All of China, The Paradox of Taiwan's Tea Art 6. From Sea Goddess to Peace Goddess: The Export of Taiwan's Cult of Mazu 7. Gambling and Affect, Risking and Daring in Cold War Matsu 8. Revisiting "Taiwanese Food Culture", The Culinary Contact Zone of East and Southeast Asian Foodways 9. Worlding Taiwanese Aquaculture Technology, Science Diplomacy, Experts, and Know-How Transfer