The High Speed Rail, Hybrid Culture and Engineering/Political Subjectivity in Taiwan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
TECHNOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTION AS IDENTITY FORMATION: THE HIGH SPEED RAIL, HYBRID CULTURE AND ENGINEERING/POLITICAL SUBJECTIVITY IN TAIWAN Kuo-Hui Chang Dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Science and Technology Studies Gary Lee Downey (Chair) Chyuan-Yuan Wu Daniel Breslau Saul Halfon Matthew Wisnioski May 24, 2010 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: high speed rail, technology policy, sociology of technology, national identity, engineering culture Copyright 2010, Kuo-Hui Chang TECHNOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTION AS IDENTITY FORMATION: THE HIGH SPEED RAIL, HYBRID CULTURE AND ENGINEERING/POLITICAL SUBJECTIVITY IN TAIWAN Kuo-Hui Chang ABSTRACT This project examines the construction of the Taiwan high-speed rail (THSR; 台灣高鐵) technology as a vehicle of Taiwanese identity formation. The THSR project is a product of a hybridization of design from Japan and Europe. The Japanese and Europeans transferred their HSR technology to Taiwan, but Taiwanese policy actors and engineers localized and assimilated it to their politics, society and history. They reconstructed the meanings of HSR technology in an indigenized (Ben-Tu-Hua; 本土化) and democratic way. In addition to focusing on the THSR’s technological content and engineering practice, this dissertation explores how Taiwan identity formation has shaped technology and vice versa. The identity formation and technological construction in Taiwan tell one techno-political story. Since the 1960s and 1970s, Taiwanese engineers were forced by international politics to cannibalize technological projects, but later they began to localize and hybridize different foreign engineering skills and knowledge. This growing engineering culture of hybridity generated impacts on the development of Taiwan’s identity politics. Some critical political leaders exploited their engineers’ capability to hybridize to introduce international power into Taiwan. This power then was used to either strengthen the Taiwanese population’s Chinese identity or to build their Taiwanese identity. Both politics and technology offered each other restrains and opportunities. This project offers an approach from science and technology studies to understand postcolonial technopolitics. The engineering practice of hybridity in Taiwan has become a locally transformed knowledge to reframe and negotiate with the more advanced technologies from the West and Japan, even though it was a contingent outcome of earlier international politics. In addition to technological non-dependence, this engineering culture of hybridity has given the Taiwanese an independent political vision not only against China but the West and Japan. However, Taiwan paid significant prices to acquire technological non-dependence and international independence. In addition to extra wasted money and time, some over design was often seen in their public projects. Large technological projects also often draw political patronage. Moreover, techno-political survival alone might not be enough to represent postcolonial resistance. ACKNOWLEDGMENT My dissertation project was not much different from others in terms of struggles and challenges, but I had a great committee to help me out. I need especially to thank my advisor, Gary Lee Downey, for his insightful advice, relentless encouragement and thoughtful concerns about my research project and career during the year when I was conducting research and writing dissertation in Taiwan. I am also impressed by his energy and passion in academia. He has showed highly respectful scholarship that I hope to reach in the future. I would also like to thank professor Chyuan-yuan Wu of National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. He not only generously shared his insights and thoughts with me but sharply challenged my ideas with his knee observation and study on the relationship of Taiwan identity and technology. Saul Halfon was always my first option to consult with the topics of technopolitics, postcolonialism, discourse analysis and policy studies. I and my project have greatly benefited from his courses and advice. Daniel Breslau helped me a lot to conceptualize my research proposal and advised on me subtle but very significant issues in my dissertation. Matthew Wisnioski gave me very thorough comments and constructive suggestion. In addition to knowledge of history of technology, I learned critical points of how to structure and arrange materials in the dissertation from him. Matthew Goodrum has been the most incredible friend. He was so knowledgeable, intellectual and fun to be with during the years I was in the United States. I must acknowledge the huge debt that I owe to him. He has converted my life philosophies in many ways and I really appreciate this. I want to thank Pei-Fang Jennifer Tsai and Fangyee Lin for their relentless encouragement and friendship. I also want to thank Ashley Shew who has been the most supportive and thoughtful friend and colleague to me. Sungwoo Ahn was always the friend I could freely share thoughts and life with. I am so glad that I could make such important friends in Blacksburg. I would particularly like to thank Richard Burian who always gave me words of support and showed great sympathy. I also want to thank Jongmin Lee, Sonja Schmid, Ann Laberge, Yu- Hsiu Hung, Jin You, Tristan Lloyd, Chris Hays, Robert Davis, Robert Olivo and Barbara Reeves for their constant friendship and conversation. I need to thank Crystal Harrell and Karen Snider for their help during my study. Outside of Blacksburg, I would like to thank the Taiwan Ministry of Education for their generous scholarship and the Academia Sinica for their great predoctoral fellowship. My interviewees from the THSRC, BOHSR, CECI and Taiwan Railways etc. were also the people who made key contributions to my project that I have to thank particularly. I would also like to thank my friends in Taiwan: LB, Mei-Chen Melissa Lin, Jei-Yu Alice Lin, Kun-Yu Liu, Kun- Chang Liu, Yu-Zen Lee, Hsi-Yuan Chen, Li-Wei Chen, Yen-Tsen Eugene Lin and Su-Chuan Lee for their friendship and great sympathy. Lastly and the most importantly, I want to thank my family—to my parents, brothers’ and sister for their constant support and love. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background: Technology and Identity Formation in Taiwan...................................... 3 1.2 Relationship of the THSR to Taiwan Identity................................................................ 7 1.3 Literature Review ........................................................................................................... 15 1.3.1 Literature on the THSR............................................................................................ 16 1.3.2 Literature on HSR.................................................................................................... 18 1.3.3 STS Literature on Identity Shaping ......................................................................... 21 1.4 Research Methods........................................................................................................... 26 1.4.1 Primary Source Collecting....................................................................................... 27 1.4.2 Field Research Strategies......................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 2 TAIWAN RAILWAYS, INTERNATIONAL POLITICS AND ENGINEERING LABOR UNTIL 1973.............................................................................. 35 2.1 Historical Background of Taiwan Railways Engineering: Engineering Practice with Little Local Participation....................................................................................... 35 2.2 Emerging Local Engineering Involvement Surrounded by Foreign Power.............. 38 2.2.1 Early Cannibalization as a Way of Surviving under a Difficult Economy and Distorted International Politics ................................................................................ 39 2.2.2 Early Railway Cannibalization Emerged and Spread to the Super Railway Project ...................................................................................................................... 47 2.3 Engineering Socialization of Early Cannibalization.................................................... 50 CHAPTER 3 TAIWAN HSR PROJECT’S ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION PLANNING: CANNIBALIZATION, INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION AND DESIGNING FOR INCLUSION............................................................................... 52 3.1 From Early Cannibalization Experience to Collaborative Engineering Policy........ 53 3.1.1 Leveling Cannibalization Experience Up to International Collaboration Policy .... 56 3.1.2 Merging Early Cannibalization Experience with International Collaboration Policy ....................................................................................................................... 63 3.2 Early Engineering Culture of Hybridity: Designing for Inclusion ............................ 68 3.3 Engineering Experience and Policy of Hybridity Emerged........................................ 79 3.3.1 Engineering Planning of Hybridity: National Differences Count............................ 80 3.3.2 Engineering Thinking of Hybridity Flowed into the BOT Model........................... 82 CHAPTER 4 DEMOCRATIZED AND INDIGENIZED STATE TRANSFORMATION