Doing Research in Humanities in Taiwan
Christianity in Taiwan


My own journey



•
HOW SHOULD I START DOING THE RESEARCH?
HOW?

EFFECT



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Obrázok, na ktorom je text Automaticky generovaný popis


The most important factors when selecting a research topic?



Interest
Access
一口吃个胖子
Help

How to select the sources?



Terminology



本土化
VS
中国化

How to select the “correct” methodology?



Conflict of interests?



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My research on Christianity in Taiwan (and the PRC)



Presbyterian Church in Taiwan as “a catalyst of discourse on civic Taiwanese nationalism”
(Yoshihisa Amae, 2007) (?)








Under Japanese rule
1895-1945
•First years:                                                           Good status - the PCT
represented over 80% of all Christians
•After 1930:                                                     Shinto ceremonies before every
service Forced to use Japanese language              Bibles
burned                                        Romanized transcript banned - spies
Foreign missionaries expelled
Ø
Ø
•Forced to use Mandarin language            1975 – Bibles confiscated                         PCT
members persecuted
•Translations to foreign language only for foreigners
Romanized transcript banned
•
•The PCT realized, that for Taiwan was necessary to reach human rights, democracy and
self-government
•
During martial law
1949-1987

Why does one Christian group decide to oppose the totalitarian rule while other does not?



“One of the primary goals of most religious organisations is maximisation (or retention) of
parishioners.”
(Anthony Gill, 1998)

•



Social media VS traditional media VS Internet websites






1.Read Participation as user involvement by Daniela Landert (pp. 31-33; 33-35; 38-40)
2.Group 1: What is interaction and participation? How would you study this? (pp. 31-33)
3.Group 2: What is involvement? What is involving content, involving language? How would you study
this? (pp. 31-33)
4.Group 3: What is potential of interaction? How might this influence research? (pp. 33-35)
5.Group 4: What is horizontal and vertical communication? How might this indluence research?
(38-40)










•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4_ALYJ3Juo
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S96dLpkDWCo
•
•

1.Try to think about a different purpose of each material
2.Give at least three distinctive point of each material (focusing on differences between the
materials)
3.In which situation would you use each material?
4.What do you think the FB group tried express