Taipei
City of Displacements
Published on 11. November 2011
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-0-295-99125-2 (ISBN)
Description
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
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
Reviews / Votes
"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) "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) "I highly recommend this book to readers interested in the cultural history of Asian cities."
- Anru Lee (The China Journal) "[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)
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Seattle
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
35 illus.
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
612 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-295-99125-2 (9780295991252)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2011
1st Edition
University of Washington Press
€33.99
Available for download
Person
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.
Content
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
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