Literature Conference Taiwan

I just came back from a literature conference and have some thoughts. First of all - conferences are stupid. They are a platform for academics to promote themselves and their papers, which were written only for conferences and have very little implication for anything or anybody else. Papers are delivered to a small crowd of students, who are most likely required to be there, and organizers. (At least - literature conferences in Taiwan although I suspect many conferences are like this in any field). The conference was about English teaching, globalization, and seeking out an authentic Asian Identity.

Globalization was used in the sense of 'East and West Dialogue and interaction' or 'cross fertilization of cultural identities.' This vision is a myth, a farce, a comforting lie.

The truth is that globalization is a one way phenomenon. In predominately white societies which are infiltrated by large immigrant communities, the particular customs and languages of the marginalized - even when they become the dominant group - do not often spread universally. Instead there are ghettos and neighborhoods where the imported foods, languages and customs are used. The white, middle-class, suburbs remainly thoroughly untouched.

Although western movies are interested in Asian things, (Asian cities, Asian culture, and Kungfu certainly) the cinematic production (and often cheap knock-off or Americanized stereotype) of 'Asian-ness' really more of a sell-out than a symptom of a deep respect for Asian way of living. Americans daily lives have not become more Asian; they are not offering three sticks of incense or burning ghost money. In other words they are not adopting any asian beliefs or values, just the external representations or visuals - the 'eye candy': Decoration to add an exotic flair, the hint of spice and mysticism and faraway places.

The same is not true in countries such as Taiwan, which is seeing a remarkable and sudden shift in values. "Globalization" has meant the proliferation of consumer mega-stores like Costco and Carrefour and ToysRUs, where Taiwanese can purchase the lifestyles they admire from TV, movies and magazines, and restaurants like Friday's and Burger King and Pizza Hut where they can ruin their health in the good ol' American way. The last few years have also seen an army of coffee shops which serve cake and sandwiches slowly replacing the ubiquitious tea stands. Huskies and golden retrievers, not native to the tropical island, are sold at high prices and bring with them a lift in social status, as do SUV's.

National identy for the Taiwanese is, historically, a complicated subject. There were some Chinese immigrants. Then there were the Dutch, then the Spanish and Portuguese, then the Chinese pirates, the Japanese, and finally Chiang Kai-Shek and his band of runaways from China's cultural revolution. When the Japanese were here, Taiwanese were taught Japanese language, customs and values. Cities were organized via a Japanese design. Buildings were built Japanese style. With Chiang Kai-Shek they become Chinese again, sort-of. Actually each generation is most likely a mix of various foreign influences - including to an extreme degree the modern youth, which is heavily influenced by Korean, Japanese and American cultures.

Nowhere is this modern confusion with authentic identity and values formation so prosaically (?) apparent than in the field of foreign language studies. Taiwanese study English literature or Asian American novels and at the same time ask themselves how they can strengthen their 'Asian Identity'. This aim is noble and well-noted: Asians need to study English to interact globally, but in doing so they risk losing their own Asian way of looking at the world. However - the lack of relevant English materials for contemporary Asian scholars (Asian as in living and working in ASIA. Not immigrants to the west, or 2nd or 3rd generation American Asians) has lead to the careful study and reproduction of critical ideas concerning topics that have little to do with modern issues actually confronting contemporary Asians. At the same time, 'Asian Identity' is being openly discarded by the majority of Asians, even those who can't speak Chinese. Traditional customs, ceremonies, styles of dress are all simply dying off. Perhaps, in cases where they were overly restrictive or sexist, for the better.

Adding a strange and bizzare twist to the conference - which while pretending to be about Asian Identity and globalization actually focused exclusively on Gish's the Love Wife, a story of Americans with Chinese blood but no Chinese heritage and adopted children from China - was the religious element.

One paper actually suggested using THE BIBLE for values formation in Asian countries!! This is, in my view, like kicking them while they're down. The Bible is absolutely a product of Western culture. Helping Asians 'find themselves' and their values using the Bible... well, it may not be as stupid as I think it is. But the idea that Asians can find their own culture or cultural values through the Bible is definitely ridiculous. Even more strange, was a paper on how Asians wanting to learn English could read Buddhist texts that had been translated into English. My brain hurts.