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Title |
The Literature that Oscillates between Nation and Market: On Literary Culture in Taiwan: From Martial Law to Market Law—A Sinophone Perspective |
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Author |
Chung, Chih-Wei |
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Project Assistant Professor, Department of Chinese Literature, Fujen Catholic University |
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Abstract |
Literary Culture in Taiwan: From Martial Law to Market Law, released by Sungsheng Yonne Chang in 2004, is one of the most significant monographs in the field of Taiwan literature in the North American academia. The book’s complete traditional Chinese translation was not unveiled until 2022, whereas its core conceptions, such as literary field together with aesthetic position, have been disseminated in Taiwan since its publication, thereby engaging in the methodological debates in the local academic sphere. In other words, a review on this book will entail a reflection on Taiwan literary studies; in the sense, this paper seeks to trace the genealogy revealed by the transpacific articulations. Our investigation into Literary Culture in Taiwan will be twofold: on the one hand, for critics has experimented with new comparative methodologies on reorienting and representing Taiwan, we are going to examine the rising (or renewed) geopolitical frameworks, Sinophone studies in particular. In this vein of comparing Taiwan, this paper aims to disclose the pioneer status brought about by Literary Culture in Taiwan. On the other hand, the focus will be transferred to the sociology of literature, which is Chang’s main methodological argumentation, and the discussion will be concentrated on figuring out how Pierre Bourdieu describes the intertwined interactions among the politics, the economics, and the literary activities; returning to Bourdieu is a key step to not only underline the insights but also unravel the blindness of the book Literary Culture in Taiwan. Finally, inspired by Chang’s discourse, this paper will also manifest the configuration and conspiracy caused by neoliberalism and neoconservatism against the backdrop of contemporary cultural scene. |
