Taiwan's Night Markets
Negotiating Taiwanese Identity Through Night Market Food
Exploring how vendors preserve cultural memory and navigate identity politics in Taiwan's post-colonial commercial spaces
Research Focus
This project investigates how night markets function as contested sites where different versions of "Taiwanese identity" are negotiated, performed, and sometimes erased
What This Research Explores
Taiwan's night markets as vibrant cultural spaces where different versions of identity, tradition, and authenticity are negotiated through food, language, and daily interactions
Why It Matters
Understanding how culture actually works in everyday commercial spaces, not just official heritage sites, and how ordinary people navigate questions of identity, belonging, and authenticity
What You Can Discover
Detailed case studies of four distinct markets, profiles from individual vendors, an interactive map for exploration, and insights into how digital documentation can capture cultural complexity
Research Case Studies
Four distinct markets revealing different aspects of cultural identity negotiation
Shilin Night Market
Analyzing how cultural identity adapts to commercial pressures and tourist expectations while maintaining traces of authentic local practices.
Raohe Street Market
Exploring minority culture preservation within urban commercial spaces and how Hakka vendors navigate cultural visibility.
Huaxi Street Market
Examining democratic cultural spaces and community formation through accessible pricing and working-class food traditions.
Kenting Night Market
Examining how beach resort tourism shapes regional food culture and identity performance in southern Taiwan.
Beyond the Food
Taiwan's night markets aren't just food destinations. They're contested cultural sites where identity, memory, and community intersect in complex ways.
Through critical ethnographic research, this project explores how vendors serve as cultural actors navigating between tourist expectations, economic pressures, and authentic cultural preservation.
Explore Research FrameworkResearch Questions
How do vendors negotiate cultural authenticity with commercial viability?
What power dynamics determine cultural visibility in these spaces?
How do night markets function as sites of cultural resistance or conformity?