Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Pei-yin Lin (Hong Kong University) ,  Po-hsi Chen (Institute of Modern History)
Publisher:   State University of New York Press
Imprint:   State University of New York Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.90cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.590kg
ISBN:  

9798855806281

Pages:   344
Publication Date:   01 April 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Notes on Romanization Introduction Part I. The Colonial Era 1.Literary leftism in colonial Taiwan: The Cases of Lai He, Yang Kui and Lü Heruo Pei-yin Lin 2. Butterflies! The Revolutionary Muses: Wang Baiyuan's Poetry Translation in Shanghai, 1936-1946 Liu Liu Shu-chin, translated by Pei-yin Lin, P-hsi Chen, and Blake Brownrigg 3. Rereading Jiang Weishui's Revolutionary Politics and Contribution to Anti-Imperialism Nick T. C. Lu Part II. The Early Postwar Era (1945-1960s) 4. The Dissemination of Early Postwar Leftism through the Reception of Lu Xun in Taiwan (1925-1949) Huang Ying-che Huang, translated by Yi-hung Liu 5. Identities, Genealogy, and Political Actions of Left-Wing Female Political Victims of the White Terror in the 1950s Li Shu-Cchun Li, translated by Alec Martin 6. Revelation and Evocation: On Su Beng's 400-Year History of the Taiwanese People as National History Rwei-ren Wu Part III. The 1970s and 1980s 7. The Dialectics of Revolution and Betrayal: Chen Yingzhen's Socialist Christianity in ""The Story of Judas Iscariot"" Po-hsi Chen 8. Guo Songfen, ""Moon Seal"", and the Rift in Mid-Twentieth Century Sung-sheng Yvonne Chang 9. A Critical Topography of Work: Baigongtu's Alternative Media Activism in 1980s Taiwan Lawrence Z.i Qiao Yang Part IV. The Post-Martial Law Era 10. Remembering Taiwanese Socialism: Xie Xuehong in Cross-Strait Historical Memory Mark McConaghy 11. De-localizing Sinophone, or the Literature of Left-Wing South: Ng Kim-chew's Stories of Malayan Communists Ling Kang 12. The ""Postcolonial Left"" and ""Ethnicity-oriented Class Narrative"" in Taiwan's Literary Historiography Lin Yun-hung Lin, translated by Pei-yin Lin Glossary List of Contributors Index

Reviews

""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

Author Information

Pei-yin Lin is Associate Professor at the School of Chinese, University of Hong Kong. She is the author Colonial Taiwan: Negotiating Identities and Modernity Through Literature and coeditor, with Wen-chi Li, of Taiwanese Literature as World Literature. Po-hsi Chen is Assistant Research Fellow at the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica, Taiwan.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions