Introduction

In the 1990s, social scientists began "indigenizing" scholarship, shifting the focus of anthropological and sociological research from Chinese culture to Taiwanese society. In a context of free media and a thriving civil society, debates about Taiwanese identity flourished at all levels of Taiwanese society. Attention to questions of power, culture, and identity led some anthropologists in the 2000s to explore local Taiwanese identity as well as Chinese historical and cultural influences on Taiwanese society. Nation building has obviously been the core of the struggle in Taiwan. Over the course of Lee Teng-hui's presidency, national and ethnic identities became central issues in Taiwanese social and political life. Tanners of Taiwan looks at how Taiwanese tanners, as well as other actors in their firms, negotiate different identities in contemporary Taiwan. In the workplace and at home, they craft identities at the same time that they craft leather. Finally, the chapter also presents an overview of this book.