Aleksandrs Gross

Taiwan Studies: Growing But Still Contrained

Aleksandrs Gross
When compared to China Studies, Japan Studies, and Korea Studies, students aspiring to get into the field of Taiwan Studies, and researchers already working within it, face structural challenges that other regional studies do not face, or face on a smaller level. Compared to these fields, Taiwan Studies is much more politically sensitive, smaller in size, and younger in age, though of increasing importance. As a result, much of the research funding and programme infrastructure supporting other regional fields is still underdeveloped for the field of Taiwan Studies...
EnglishMarch 2026Politics11 min read

Ruptures and Splits: Challenges to Recall Group Solidarity

Aleksandrs Gross
Thousands of strangers island-wide worked together with remarkable efficiency so that the Great Recall Movement would succeed. Despite its failure to recall any of the targeted politicians from office, the Great Recall Movement holds lessons for how to rapidly mobilize civil society in response to impending threats to Taiwan’s democracy...
EnglishNovember 2025Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements12 min read

How the Recall Failure Affected Pro-Recall Taiwanese

Aleksandrs Gross
The Great Recall Movement has been described by some as the beginning of a new wave of Taiwanese activism—the greatest since the Sunflower Movement. The first wave of recall elections failed to recall even one of the 24 targeted KMT politicians from office, dealing a heavy blow to the pro-recall movement. Such a turn of events raises the question: how have the recall results affected pro-recall Taiwanese? And more importantly, what does this mean for the future of Taiwanese activism?...
August 2025EnglishPoliticsSelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements16 min read
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Aleksandrs Gross

Aleksandrs Gross is a freelance journalist focusing on the development of Taiwanese identity. Having completed a bachelor’s in Linguistics with a specialisation in Anthropology, he integrates the perspectives of both to explore how local factors form identity in Taiwan. Find more of his writing on his Substack ‘Identity Island’.