Forum 2: Linking Taiwan Studies with the World

This essay proposes a new method for studying Taiwan, explains what it is and how it works, elaborates on the implications of this method, conceptually as well as practically, and invites discussion and debate. I have been calling this method ‘relational comparison’ (Shih, 2013, 2015, 2016a, 2016b), which I think can help position Taiwan studies beyond the traditional area studies mode and into multiple interdisciplinary fields (such as American studies), while simultaneously situating it within specific disciplines of the humanities and the social sciences. I believe that this approach has far-reaching implications for what it means to do Taiwan studies in Western academia not only in terms of research content but also the potential for securing academic positions.