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Examines various case studies to provide a multifaceted understanding of Taiwan's literary and cultural leftism, emphasizing its transnational, diverse, and highly malleable nature.
An Unlikely Trajectory addresses a significant gap by foregrounding the often repressed or understudied literary and cultural leftist practices in Taiwan. Its twelve chapters explore how Taiwanese authors, directors, and intellectuals strategically navigated the complexities of colonial Japanese rule and authoritarian nationalist governance to articulate visions of a more just and oppression-free future for Taiwan. Taiwan's leftist practices matter because they offer essential insights into the island's social fabric and the intricate processes of identity formation as well as the broader international and geopolitical dynamics shaped by ongoing ideological conflicts. Through detailed case studies, this volume demonstrates how these leftist practices were influenced by diverse multicultural sources and have maintained their relevance and adaptability amid shifting sociopolitical landscapes. Furthermore, it explores how leftist ideologies intersect with other critical issues, including gender, class, and ethnicity.
"The essays in this important anthology contribute to the field of Taiwan studies, especially in shedding new light around such crucial topics as anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, sociopolitical activism, national movements, labor unionisms, and state media, among others, to discuss the ways in which Taiwanese intellectuals and writers have responded to American, Chinese, and Japanese leftist influences." — Ping-hui Liao, University of California, San Diego
"An Unlikely Trajectory is a great addition to Taiwan studies. The dominant themes are the diversity and the transnationality of the leftist legacy in Taiwan. Taiwan presents a unique case due to its geographical, cultural, and temporal positions at the crossroads of Chinese, Japanese, British, and American empires. The volume thus makes a special contribution to the broader international scholarship on leftist and socialist movements in Asia and across the globe. Specialists on socialist literature or political movements worldwide will find this volume a rewarding read." — Dominic Meng-Hsuan Yang, Department of History, University of Missouri-Columbia