The seven most influential humanities and social sciences books were named May 4 by the Ministry of Science and Technology as part of government efforts to promote Taiwan’s rich body of academic literature.
Selected from 20 submissions, the titles highlight the diversity of research in the disciplines. They also represent a cross-section of writing styles standing out amid the ever-present hum of digital connectivity.
Landscape paintings of East Asia from 10th to 16th century A.D. and the daily routines and ruminations of great thinkers during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) are two of the most intriguing listings. The former is by Shih Shou-chien, distinguished research fellow at Taipei City-headquartered Academia Sinica—the country’s top research institute, while the latter is by colleague Wang Fan-sen.
Just as fascinating are an account of theories of Western republicanism by AS research fellow Carl K. Y. Shaw and an introduction of ideas pertaining to post-conventional Confucian ethics of responsibility by Lin Yuan-tse, professor at Taipei City based-National Chengchi University.
An exposition on class-rooted inequality in parent-child education within the framework of globalization, as well as the formation of the international commodity supply chain viewed from the perspective of China’s development are equally compelling. The former is by Lan Pei-chia, distinguished professor at Taipei City-based National Taiwan University, while the latter is by AS research fellow Wu Jieh-min.
Similarly thought-provoking is an investigation of the writings by Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zhou, or Zhuangzi, and role of these seminal works in breaking down the barriers between Confucianism and Taoism by Rubin Yang—professor at Hsinchu City-based National Tsing Hua University in northern Taiwan. (TYT-E)
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