ABSTRACT
This essay rethinks how rooted cosmopolitanism could be applied in analysing the heritage of state violence in Taiwan. Rooted cosmopolitanism seems to be a valid framework to navigate the tensions, dynamics, and the balance of loyalty between international consensus and local stakeholders’ interests. However, whether rooted cosmopolitanism can encompass the complexity of “local communities” in the contemporary world remains to be further explored. Therefore, this article uses the example of heritage conservation in Taiwan to examine whether rooted cosmopolitanism can encompass multiple identities, historical contexts, and cultural beliefs in a local community. I concentrate on (1) how the heritage of state violence is embedded in Taiwan’s identity politics debates, (2) the characteristics of tourism economics on Green Island, and (3) local ritual practices of popular religions. Based on interviews, participant observation, and archival research, I attempt to present multiple social aspects (identity, economic, and religion) of locality, and argue to what extent these aspects could be incorporated into a rooted cosmopolitanism scheme of heritage conservation.
