Unlike other countries in Asia, such as South Korea or China, which have had a history of war with Japan, as well as suffered Japanese colonization and occupation, Taiwan’s experience has been unique. The pro-Japanese attitude expressed generally by the Taiwanese is drastically different from that of the two aforementioned countries. Taiwanese society is still entangled in circumstances left over from three wars, and different “Taiwanese” populations have crafted unique positions, loyalties, and resentments in relation to the Japanese and Chinese legacies and presences in Taiwan. This uniqueness has made Taiwan’s situation all the more interesting, and increasingly important, to study.
My research topics in this area have included various issues of engagement with Taiwanese society such as Japan’s post-colonial religious missionary efforts, the February 28th Incident, the spiritual discourse of Japanese Takasago volunteers, Taiwanese and Japanese sentiments revealed through tragic poetry, an analysis of books on Japanese culture in Taiwan, unique spiritual concepts of consolation after war in Taiwan, and the two-layered “colonization” of Taiwan post-1987.
In 1992 I began studying the ethnology of the southern Yaeyama and Miyako Islands, Yonaguni Island, and Okinawa, which sit closest to the coastal town of Yilan, Taiwan. I eventually expanded my study to Taiwan’s overall maritime region, including three island groups: (1) the Sakishima Islands at the southwestern end of the Ryukyu Islands, (2) Taiwan along with Lanyu and Green Island off its eastern seaboard, and (3) the Batanes Islands north of the Balintang Channel. I have employed the term “East Taiwan Sea” when describing the history of interactions among the various ethnic groups that inhabit this maritime region as well as the cultural affinity that links their myths, legends and rites. This East Taiwan Sea ring has its own distinct ethnic and cultural history that has been neglected, but I believe that, with increased interest in maritime regions as a new research focus for human history, it will soon be recognized.
Finally, at the core of action/applied/public anthropology is promotion of anthropological knowledge and engagement in public policy issues. Given the challenges that face many Indigenous peoples, anthropology has begun to take on a new sense of ethical responsibility. For my part, I have focused on two areas: legal anthropology and the anthropology of natural disasters. The August 2009 Typhoon Morakot left us much to consider with regard to Taiwan’s Indigenous people. The typhoon and subsequent relief efforts had a tremendous impact on nearly seventy Indigenous tribes, who were dealing with levels of damage that had not been experienced in over a century. In particular, the Taiwanese government’s relocation program has effectively brought about the near-extinction of many ancient tribal cultures and left us with a new sense of urgency to act.
Although Taiwan lies in an area prone to natural disasters, its government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have little knowledge of appropriate response methods or coordinated disaster strategies. Thus, I have spent a great deal of time collecting research data from other countries, including Aceh in Indonesia, Sichuan in China, New Orleans in the US, and Tohoku in Japan, to make comparisons and build a stronger knowledge base. Additionally, I am actively involved in numerous NGOs, have participated in an expert capacity in court and other legal proceedings, and have acted as a communication bridge between the government, tribal peoples, and the public.
本人從社會文化人類學以及民族學的角度進行社會文化現象之研究,研究區域與對象包含日本、沖繩與台灣境內原漢各族群,主題涵蓋如下:
(1)台灣社會之「後殖民」情境與現象
在台灣的我們,活在一個後殖民的時代裡,但是對於殖民主義結束之後,殖民主義所留給當地社會文化衝擊的研究卻不多見。這是一塊荒蕪的田野,過去十餘年,我從田野工作裡,發現許多新的素材,這些都是台灣特有的素材,透過這些素材所進行的「後殖民」現象分析,其解釋力不僅限於台灣,亦可以擴及其他地域人們在「後殖民」時代所產生的社會文化行為現象。我寫過:殖民後日本宗教傳教的宗教行為、二二八史料、終戰前後民主主義史料、高砂義勇隊的日本精神論述、日語詩文中的悲情論述,戰後 台灣的日本文化論等出版物中等,皆可顯現台灣在1945年以後,「被殖民者」特有的雙重被殖民後的複雜情境與社會文化現象。
(2)沖繩與那國島民族誌研究∕環「東台灣海」海域文化史重建
透過沖繩南端八重山群島,宮古群島的民族誌材料,尤其以最靠近台灣的與那國島之民族學研究為中心,比較其與 台灣東部沿海各族群,以及菲律賓北部巴丹群島各族群的文化類緣關係,企圖重建環「東台灣海」文化圈的族群文化史。
(3)台灣人類學史研究
這方面集中在二十世紀初期,台灣總督府臨時舊慣調查會時期的翻譯以及語言復原工作,曾得過1997年度以及1999年度教育部獎勵。此外,還進行過日本殖民期對原住民的宗教政策,人類學知識史以及殖民期法人類學者的研究。
(4)台灣原住民族群之行動人類學研究
1999年台灣九二一大地震之後,我積極參與對原住民的NGO行動,並率領民族所的志工團到原住民受災區服務。人類學者的知識,若無法經過實踐來檢驗──該知識有助於「被研究者」解決困境,該學問也受到「被研究者」歡迎,則該學問終究僅止於個人一己之哲思,無法回饋社會。這方面我透過參與財團法人小米穗原住民文化基金會的運作介入,提供對於原住民的賑災行動、文化振興、法律扶助,獎學金等資助。