Self-Determination

Government Contemplates Raising Barriers for Hongkongers to Reside in Taiwan Yet Again

Brian Hioe
Reports indicate that the government is once again considering raising the barriers for individuals from Hong Kong and Macau to permanently reside in Taiwan. This would take the form of lengthening the amount of time for them to qualify for permanent residency in Taiwan, as well as removing the path to citizenship...
EnglishMarch 2025PoliticsSelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements5 min read

Media Fixation on Johanne Liou Illustrates Continued Sexism, A Decade After the Sunflower Movement

Brian Hioe
Former Sunflower Movement participant Johanne Liou is to be deported from the US next month, facing charges related to drug trafficking and fraud. The arrest was conducted by ICE, with Taiwanese authorities stating that they requested Liou’s extradition. Liou did not appear at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office in 2023, which resulted in charges against her...
EnglishFebruary 2025Gender/SexualityPoliticsSelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements4 min read

Why Has the KMT Begun to Attack the Kuma Academy Over Funding?

Brian Hioe
The KMT has hit out at funding for the Kuma Academy, the best-known of Taiwan’s civil defense initiatives. In particular, the KMT has accused fundraising efforts for the Kuma Academy–which took place on a public welfare fundraising platform run by the Ministry of Health and Welfare–as being an effort to fund political activities. Laws forbid political activities from fundraising on public welfare platforms...
EnglishJanuary 2025PoliticsSelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements4 min read

Philosophy Against Nuclear Power

Shen Yun-Yen
The nuclear bomb certainly posed a serious problem for contemporary philosophy. From Heidegger to Arendt to Marcuse, philosophy in the mid-20th century struggled to deal with this all-annihilating artificial production. Unfortunately, most of these philosophers did not analyze the complex relationships between nuclear technology, capital, state, etc. They did not even attempt to analyze the history or the ABCs of this technology. Hence while they criticized the “atomization” of contemporary society, they did not even notice that the contemporary world is one in which the atom is no longer truly an “atom,” that is, something that cannot be split. What’s worse, philosophy seemed to be totally incapable of dealing with nuclear power. It’s simply beyond the limits of both reason and imagination...
Arts and CultureDecember 2024EnglishLiterature and PoetrySelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements15 min read