Focus: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

Focus: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

From gritty Punk to technotronic Rave music; media savvy hoaxes to terrifying performance art; relaxing in activist cafes to energetic street parades; this months Focus we give you snapshots of innovation and creativity in Taiwan's social movements and in doing so a peek at the state of civil society in Taiwan. With local activist Zijie Yang...

Read more: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

Focus: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

NoNuke Cultural Activism Group ("諾努客文化行動團隊" ) was set up in 2009 to protest Taiwan's fourth nuclear power plant. In the following interview, Yang Zixuan and Pei Linong introduce some NoNuke cultural actions:

Read more: Innovation in Anti-Nuke Protests

Focus: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

Activism isn't all about movement. Individuals need a constant flow of information, group debate and thus reflection on their actions and ideas. A culture can be born of the fusion of the ideas from a dynamic group of people and a 'space' for constant interactions they can remain dynamic, constantly regenerating themselves to meet with...

Read more: Movement Spaces: Brewing the perfect cup of activism

Focus: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

The Jammers (干擾學院) began in Taipei National University of the Arts, set up by a group of graduate students including Wu Wenjun, Ye Zhenyu, Zheng Anqi and Huang Huiyu. They began by inviting different activists to their campus to hold informational and instructional meetings. They also did field research in several villages which were...

Read more: Academy of Interference

Focus: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

One thing that I couldn't brush from our eyes during the NoNuke preparation and enaction of the 4/30 anti-nuclear power demonstrations, was the formidable displays of innovation and DIY creativity. Following the conclusion of their first major manifestation on the 30th April, NoNuke understandably didn't want the momentum to slip. Within a...

Read more: RadioARTivity

Focus: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

Gon-Li She (共力社), meaning community power group, started off as a group of friends in the Punk music scene.  Through the mediums of Punk and electronic music, they try to provide a release for an angry, alienated youth and to further channel this mood into social change organizing music events to support social movements and...

Read more: Music and Movements: God Save the Rave

Focus: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

In November 2008, the Kuomintang (KMT) in Taiwan and the Chinese Communist Party held their highest level meeting in 60 years. As largely expected, all did not go smoothly as pro-Taiwan independence supporters and other dissatisfied groups showed up in their masses 'sieging' the entrance to the Grand Hotel, Taipei where Chen Yunlin, the...

Read more: Why did the Wild Strawberries go mouldy?

Focus: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

Translated from the Chinese by Rob Voigt. Original 我的台北“野草莓”雜記／何東洪 published in Reflextion (思想) 11th ed March 2009



One.

I felt originally that I was quite involved with the “Wild Strawberry (Yecaomei) Student Movement,” and so I jumped to respond to Reflextion Magazine’s invitation and write out...

Read more: My Notes on the 'Wild Strawberries'

Focus: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

The Langyan Action Group (AKA Smoke Signals League) was first established in 2007 after a dispute between indigenous Taiwanese and the government about the natural land rights. It began as a fishing and hunting dispute and reported direspectful treatment by police, but has now developed into a movement promoting a more sustainable balance with...

Read more: Sending Smoke Signals throughout the Land

Focus: New Energy in Taiwan's Social Movements

Ho Ming-sho is a professor at the Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University. He has produced a prolific amount of literature and is a respected authority on social movements. Notably he was co-editor of the book The Age of Social Movements: Activism in Taiwan over the last 20 years...

Read more: Understanding the Trajectory of Social Movements in Taiwan (1980-2010)