Chen Shao-Hsing Memorial Lecture

Chen Shao-Hsing is the first Taiwanese sociologist in the history of Taiwanese sociology. He was born in Xizhi in 1906 during the Japanese colonial period. At 18, he went to Tainan College of Business and studied under Lin Mosei. With Lin’s guidance, he joined the Taiwanese Cultural Association, organizing talks and activities. In 1929, Chen entered Tohoku Imperial University (now Tohoku University) to study sociology, focusing on European theories. He later worked at Tohoku University and published papers about sociology of knowledge and civil societies in several Japanese journals.

After returning to Taiwan in 1936, Chen collaborated with public intellectuals in the fields of art and literature. In 1941, with efforts from both Taiwanese and Japanese contributors, he co-founded the journal of Taiwanese Folklores. This journal is dedicated to the examination of traditional customs and cultural practices in Taiwan, with the goal of documenting and analyzing local knowledge from a perspective independent of colonial rule.

After World War II and Japan’s defeat, Taihoku Imperial University became National Taiwan University. Chen served as a professor in the History department, co-founded the Anthropology Department in 1949, and established the Sociology Department in 1960. Chen Shao-Hsing possessed an extensive knowledge base that spanned across disciplines including history, anthropology, demography, and sociology. Collaborating with intellectuals from diverse fields, he engaged in both qualitative and quantitative research. In the 1950s, Chen visited the US for research, collaborating with American scholars and presenting on social changes and the transformation of fertility patterns in English. He earned his Ph.D. from Kansai Gakuin University in 1957 with a dissertation on “The Social Transformation and Demographic Changes in Taiwan.” In addition to numerous publications, Chen organized academic journals such as Taiwan Culture and Taiwan Studies. He elevated theories and methods in social sciences in Taiwan, reforming the curriculum in local sociology education. His goal was to establish Taiwan studies based on solid foundation of social sciences.

When Chen Shao-Hsing taught in the sociology department from 1960 to 1966, he focused on sociological theories, urban sociology, community surveys, social stratification, and demography. In 1964, the Sociology Department initiated a community survey in the Gu-Ting area near the campus, and Chen was responsible for sampling, one of the most challenging parts of the project.

In 1965, Chen published his most famous article ”Taiwan as a Laboratory for the study of Chinese Society and Culture” and explored the unique contribution of Taiwan Studies. Chen Shao-Hsing believes that Taiwan, influenced by various cultures such as Dutch, Japanese, and Chinese, possesses a diverse range of materials in multiple languages. During the early stages of modernization, detailed and comprehensive data were accumulated during the Japanese colonial period, enabling research in Taiwan to span different types of societies, ranging from pre-modern to contemporary.

Chen Shao-Hsing, in his work, references Hegel’s famous words, “The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of dusk,” to illustrate the viewpoint of Western social theorists. This perspective suggests that intellectuals often recognize the necessity for social research only after a certain stage of historical development. Drawing on Taiwan’s characteristics in the process of modernization and data accumulation, Chen Shao-Hsing emphasizes the potential for Taiwanese research to surpass Western social theories. Professor Cheng Li-Hsuan of the Department of Sociology at NCCU, in writing a biography for Chen Shao-Hsing, titled it “The Owl that Did Not Wait for Dusk” to emphasize Chen Shao-Hsing’s insights.

Chen Shao-Hsing traversed various historical periods, cultivating groundbreaking expertise through cross-disciplinary exploration in philosophy, folklore, history, anthropology, sociology, and demography. Proficient in Japanese, German, Chinese, and English, he employed diverse academic languages. His research methods encompassed theoretical analysis, fieldwork, surveys, demographic analysis, and historical method. His comprehensive mastery of sociological specialties remains unparalleled. His book “The Demographic Transformation and Social Changes,” published a decade after his passing, stands as the most cited work in sociology in Taiwan, underscoring his enduring impact on the discipline.

Chen Shao-Hsing navigated through the Japanese colonial period and the post-war authoritarian regime. He remained dedicated to exploring Taiwan-centered research. His intellectual journey expanded into diverse realms, frequently yielding innovative approaches and findings. He has left us a rich legacy. His commitment to being a public, professional, and critical sociologist serves as a great inspiration in today’s challenging world.