Author Description

Since the 1990s, the issue of identity has been one of the most prominent and hotly debated topics in Taiwan Studies. A rich corpus of literature has been produced in various fields in the attempt to address this problematic issue, examining questions of Taiwanese identity from political, social and cultural perspectives. Imaging and Imagining Taiwan takes a fresh approach to this important topic, examining Taiwanese identity visually and exploring the ways in which the island is presented and imagined. Contributors from a range of disciplinary backgrounds (Literature, History, Film Studies, Linguistics, Anthropology and Cultural Studies) and geographical contexts (Taiwan, Europe and America) investigate the ways in which Taiwan has been represented in films, fine art, advertising, sports, and social spaces at different periods in history. Through seven case studies they focus on the ways in which Taiwan is represented, how this relates to identity politics, and how the island is imaged and imagined visually, socially, and symbolically. This combination of fresh perspectives with different disciplinary approaches offers a set of diverse yet complementary insights into how Taiwan has been envisioned and imagined, and how the Taiwanese have positioned and identified themselves at different times.