Taiwan Archaeology

The significance of Taiwan prehistory for Asia-Pacific archaeology is well documented, especially through research on Austronesian origins and dispersal. But the history of Taiwan archaeology, 125 years old, its links with Chinese archaeology, and its unique specificities, are largely unknown abroad. This chapter proposes an historical and sociological perspective on the making of modern Taiwan archaeology. It introduces the main phases of its development from its beginning in 1896 under Japanese colonialism (1895–1945) to its current state and analyses its specificities in comparison with other East Asian archaeologies. It looks in particular at the way archaeological institutions have been shaped by Taiwan’s post-WWII history, notably Chinese nationalism, American influence, Taiwanisation, and the rise of Austronesian indigenous identity. Archaeological research was divided between the Chinese national archaeology undertaken at Academia Sinica by archaeologists in exile under Li Chi and the Taiwanese local archaeology carried out at National Taiwan University that built on the achievements of Japanese archaeologists. After the end of this institutional division in the 1970s, research in Chinese archaeology has continued on the relics of Anyang and other major sites on the mainland as well as in new fieldwork conducted in China through international projects. Under the influence of K. C. Chang and Sung Wen-hsun, archaeological priorities gradually shifted toward the island’s pre- and protohistoric past and regional interactions. Two other issues are also highlighted: archaeology’s relations to the state and the interaction between the archaeological community and indigenous peoples.

China · Colonialism · Indigenous · Mainland · Mainland China · Prehistoric archaeology · Prehistory · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies

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