The photobook phenomenon: from the perspective of Taiwan photography history

Abstract

This paper treats “photobook” as a metaphorical composition that implies the role of photographer-auteur, the juxtaposition of text and image, the editor’s decision on layout and sequence, as well as the designer’s and publisher’s performance on printed material. Such an approach of treating “photobook” as a visual account of history is closely linked to the distinct cultural background of Taiwan. As an island located in the centre of the East-Asian island arc, the western edge of the Pacific Ocean, and the southeast coast of the continent of Asia, Taiwan, also known as “Ilha Formosa”, has been governed by different colonial regimes in different periods of time, including the Netherlands, Spain, the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Japan, and the Republic of China. The production of photobooks in Taiwan history was inextricably intertwined with the cultivation of Taiwanese subjectivity that represented the shift from the colonialists’ perspective of this island to the diverse and multi-layered self-awareness. To identify the factors that led to these essential variations over the history of Taiwan photography, a chronological approach is imperative. Based on this insight, the discussion of this essay is chronologically structured in four parts: (1) from pre-1895 to the Japanese rule period (1895–1945); (2) from the great retreat to the White Terror (1945–1987); (3) from the lifting of martial law to the millennium (1987–2000); and (4) the 2000s and after.