Approaching Western classical music in Taiwan from the perspective of historical anthropology

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K20734
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 4:Geography, cultural anthropology, folklore, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Science
• Principal Investigator: KINASE Takashi 東京理科大学, 教養教育研究院葛飾キャンパス教養部, 准教授 (80548165)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-07-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 表演芸術（パフォーミングアーツ） / 台湾 / 日本 / 東アジア / 西洋クラシック音楽 / アイデンティティ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to approach the reception and social structure of (broadly defined) Western classical music and its relationship with people's identity in modern and contemporary Taiwan from both a cultural anthropological and historical perspective, focusing on two themes in particular: (1) 'diversity' and 'performing arts' in Taiwanese society, and (2) contact zones between the 'arts' and 'popular culture'. The research primarily involved fieldwork into the activities of several groups and organizations in Taiwan (some public, some private). In addition, as it was not possible to travel to Taiwan for research due to the spread of COVID-19 for a long time, the comparative research was expanded and research on related topics within Japan was also carried out in order to advance the future prospects of the project.

Free Research Field

文化人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

西洋由来の〈普遍〉性を帯びたいわゆる「高級な」文化が非西洋世界に受容され、それぞれの社会固有の文脈において多様性を帯び、ときに人々のアイデンティティ形成にも関わることについては、〈普遍〉の〈芸術〉への志向が強固な音楽研究（とりわけクラシック音楽に関わるそれ）はもとより、人間の〈文化〉に関するあらゆる事象を扱うことを標榜しながらもその成り立ちから〈土着〉の〈伝統〉への志向が根強い（それゆえ「高級な」文化をしばしば等閑視しがちな）文化人類学においてもまた、十分に対象化し得るような理論的視座を欠く境界的な領域であり続けてきた。やや射程が広すぎた観はあるが、そこに光を当てる契機としての意義はあった。