This paper traces the life and achievements of the Scottish missionary
Carstairs Douglas (1830–1877), especially his contributions to the
mission in Amoy (Xiamen 廈門). It also includes a contextualized
description and evaluation of his dictionary of the spoken language of
Amoy (1873), a reference work that may still be used with some benefit
by students of the Southern Hokkien (Minnanhua) language.

Christian Aid, a faith-based anti-poverty charity based in the UK, origins lie in the
reconstruction of Europe following the Second World War. In 1948, the organisation
regrouped under the title: Inter-Church Aid and Refugee Service and its focus shifted towards
worldwide poverty. The 1970s saw the organisation directly funding over 100 development
projects in 40 different countries and by the 1990s Christian Aid was campaigning on
global political issues that included (but not limited to) South African apartheid, Stop
Climate Chaos, fair trade and trade justice movements. Without representatives overseas,
Christian Aid works entirely through local structures, mainly churches and/or voluntary
organisations; relying heavily on regional screening of projects by local experts. The
collection used in this paper comprises of correspondences, minutes and reports. It draws
on primary sources material (in both English and Chinese) that include: the Taroko
Mountain Village Development Programme in 1973; the typhoon relief in 1973-74;
Leadership and Community Development for East Coast Aborigines in 1972; the Training
Centre for Handicapped People (est. 1972-73); Health Education Programme for East Coast
Aborigines (1970-72); Social Service Centre (1970-71); Lotung Student Centre (1974-75);
Vehicle repairing courses for tribal people, 1972-76; Aboriginal Agricultural Development
Project–1975-76; among others. The paper is framed in the context of civil movements (in
particular relief programmes), with the Taiwan indigenous peoples as a representative case
study. Its main contribution is as a historical source; a comparative for present-day civil
movements that have their routes in grassroots issues. In the case of Taiwan, much of the
literature on the 1970s has tended (and perhaps rightfully so) concentrated on the change
in representation at the United Nations Security Council in 1971; the US establishment
of diplomatic ties with the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) in 1972; the passing of the
Taiwan Relations Act in ‘1979; the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident; and the death of Chiang Kaishek
and power transfer to Chiang Ching-kuo in ‘75 and ‘78 respectively. Little is known
on social movements and development projects among the indigenous peoples during this
‘decade of change’. By addressing this overlooked aspect of the history of Taiwan civil
movements, this paper will greatly contribute to existing knowledge on social movements,
rights discourses and citizenship.

This special issue concerns agency and negotiation in the context of the hierarchical relations between the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a global superpower, and Taiwan, a subordinated actor often relegated to a marginal position in contemporary global geopolitics. By exploring how Taiwan opposes, interrupts and re-creates its subordinate position vis-à-vis China, the authors of this special issue will shed light on the complexities of the ongoing Taiwan experience, shaped by different, often opposing, interests, positions and perspectives regarding its relationship with China. Yet, by exploring the experience of Taiwan with reference to its Chinese legacies, this special issue will also allow important reflections on China, not only in its hegemonic role regionally and globally, but also in its weaknesses when it deals with subordinated actors. This is a timely and important piece, which will allow alternative interpretations of contemporary events not only in Taiwan, for inst...

This paper traces the life and achievements of the Scottish missionary Carstairs Douglas (1830-1877), especially his contributions to the mission in Amoy (Xiamen 廈門). It also includes a contextualized description and evaluation of his dictionary of the spoken language of Amoy (1873), a reference work that may still be used with some benefit by students of the Southern Hokkien (Minnanhua) language.

The turn of the twentieth century witnessed a significant expansion of both Deptford in southeast London and the market town of Dadaocheng in northern Taiwan. A factor that unites the two can arguably be found in both historically avoiding becoming part of the cities to which they now belong. The collective desire of their more well-to-do residents to shape an urban modern space that could fit their aspirations transcended national boundaries. Defined as the “urban elite,” the more notable residents were both globally situated and connected. They lived in a modernity that was self-defined and interpreted, one that was differentiated across a range of institutions: family life, economic and political structures, education, mass communication, and individual orientation. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to argue that these arenas should be understood as a narrative of continual design and redesign. What is more, they were essentially marshaled by a rising new urban middle cl...