Taipei: City of Displacements

by Joseph R. Allen

Overview

Winner of the Joseph Levenson Post-1900 Book Prize

This cultural study of public space examines the cityscape of Taipei, Taiwan, in rich descriptive prose. Contemplating a series of seemingly banal subjects--maps, public art, parks--Joseph Allen peels back layers of obscured history to reveal forces that caused cultural objects to be celebrated, despised, destroyed, or transformed as Taipei experienced successive regime changes and waves of displacement. In this thoughtful stroll through the city, we learn to look beyond surface ephemera, moving from the general to the particular to see sociocultural phenomena in their historical and contemporary contexts.

Watch the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBdGIoox7zM

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780295804262
Publisher:	University of Washington Press
Publication date:	11/11/2011
Series:	McLellan Endowed Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Joseph R. Allen is professor of Chinese literature and cultural studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and author of In the Voice of Others: Chinese Music Bureau Poetry and translator of Forbidden Games and Video Poems: The Poetry of Yang Mu and Lo Ch'ing.

Joseph R. Allen is professor emeritus of Chinese literature at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of Taipei: City of Displacements (University of Washington Press, 2012; winner of the Levenson Book Prize: Post-1900 China, Association of Asian Studies, 2014) and In the Voice of Others: Chinese Music Bureau Poetry (Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan Press, 1992); translator of Forbidden Games & Video Poems: The Poetry of Yang Mu and Lo Ch'ing (University of Washington Press, 1993); and editor of a revised edition of The Book of Songs, translated by Arthur Waley (Grove Press, 1996; revised 2000, 2011).

Table of Contents

Preface

Note to Readers

Prologue

1. Mapping the City

2. Picturing the City

3. Traffic in the City

4. A Park in the City

5. Display in the City

6. Statues in the City

7. A Horse in a Park in a City on an Island in the Sea

Postface: Theoretical Considerations

Notes

Chinese and Japanese Glossary

Works Cited

Index

What People are Saying About This

Yomi Braester

Through the prism of Taipei's development, Allen masterfully covers many aspects of visual culture in Taiwan during the past century. The book details cultural debates with insight and draws on many visual forms. Taipei is bound to become a prime source on Taiwan culture.

Editorial Reviews

"I highly recommend this book to readers interested in the cultural history of Asian cities."

The China Journal - Anru Lee

[A]n interesting and insightful book about the cultural politics of public place in a postcolonial East Asian city. Combining investigation of historical material and long-term observation of contemporary urban saces, Joseph Allen presents a brilliant spatial reading of historical and present-day Taipei.

China Review International - Liang-Yi Yen

The inspiration to write Taipei: City of Displacements came as he pondered the city’s history during one of his frequent walks in the old city center. Therefore, he returned to Taipei in 1999 to put his literary training to use by studying Taipei as a text.... Readers interested in history…will find a fascinating study.

Taiwan Review - Donald Silver

This book is a very important contribution to the field of Chinese legal history...

China Review International Vol. 17:4 - Par Cassel

Insightful and inviting... this text not only will elucidate Taipei for newcomers and old-timers but will also raise interesting urban questions for comparative readings across many modern cities that demand equal system, skill, and affection. Highly recommended.

Choice

[A]n interesting and insightful book about the cultural politics of public place in a postcolonial East Asian city. Combining investigation of historical material and long-term observation of contemporary urban saces, Joseph Allen presents a brilliant spatial reading of historical and present-day Taipei.

--Liang-Yi Yen "China Review International"

I highly recommend this book to readers interested in the cultural history of Asian cities.

--Anru Lee "The China Journal"

Insightful and inviting . . . this text not only will elucidate Taipei for newcomers and old-timers but will also raise interesting urban questions for comparative readings across many modern cities that demand equal system, skill, and affection. Highly recommended.

-- "Choice" (1/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

The inspiration to write Taipei: City of Displacements came as he pondered the city's history during one of his frequent walks in the old city center. Therefore, he returned to Taipei in 1999 to put his literary training to use by studying Taipei as a text. . . . Readers interested in history...will find a fascinating study.

--Donald Silver "Taiwan Review"

From the Publisher