"Selling One's Liver to buy a House": Some Preliminary Impressions of the Housing Market in Tainan

Ole Johannes Kaland is an affiliate researcher of the ‘Urban Enclaving Futures’ project based at the University of Bergen, Norway. In Taiwan, Ole is a Taiwan Fellow funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and affiliated with National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and National Yao Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU).

Monday 31st October. 10:30-12:30 CET

The presentation will be streamed on zoom, which you can access by following this link.  Zoom ID: 892 5661 5895. Password: 406634

Abstract:

Enclaving is commonly understood as a form of urbanization characterized by the building of urban spaces that is differentiated from surrounding communities and society via housing and unequal distribution of urban resources. The ’Urban Enclaving Futures’ project based at the University of Bergen (Norway) explores enclaving more broadly by including how it weaves together social practices, spaces and political desires, and economic aspirations. A core focus of the project is on housing investments, while another is on how enclaves affect social life within and between such communities.

In this presentation, Ole Johannes Kaland will share some preliminary impressions and trends that stand out in the data he has compiled so far for his ongoing anthropological fieldwork in Tainan and the districts related to the Southern Taiwan Science Park (Nanke). In addition to studying the core foci of the enclaving project in Taiwan, Ole is particularly interested in learning how young adults experience and relate to the housing market. How do people attribute meaning and value to living in a certain kind of house or district in Tainan, and what roles does this play in being seen as a certain kind of person or family? How do people reflect on Nanke’s influence on the local housing market? Can Nanke be seen as a form of enclave? If so, how?