| Summary: | 博士 === 國立臺北藝術大學 === 文化資產與藝術創新博士班 === 107 === The development and contemporary meaning of labor memorials in Taiwan are explored in this paper with the goal of reclassifying monument studies as an academic field that promotes public awareness of the issue of occupational injuries and the active politicization of this issue. Political and economic structures and field data are analyzed from the theoretical perspective of collective memory to review the development of the construction industry in Taiwan over the past century and its associated monument culture. Moreover, the Taipei MRT memorials for workers who suffered from diver’s disease and the Taipei 101 Partners’ Memorial are examined as case studies. In addition to considering the influence of employees, employers, and officials on these memorials, the oral recollections of workers and their families and the curated opinions of memorial visitors are examined to explore how the past communicates with the present.
Findings show that, both during the expansion of Japanese colonial rule and the consolidation of postwar Republic of China control in Taiwan, large, public construction projects were imagined by contemporary officials as ‘battlefields’ requiring public sacrifice and suffering for the national good. Therefore, labor memorials of the period typically invoke images of sacrifice to the country as a way to legitimate the authority and the expansion of the current government. After the end of martial law in Taiwan, contemporary neoliberal trends emphasized capital sovereignty over political sovereignty. Thus, labor memorials of this period spurned outdated political and patriotic invocations in favor of solemn commemorations of personal sacrifice. In the two case studies analyzed in this study, the primary focus of the memorialization effort was on the names that would be included on the memorial. The selection processes were open and democratic, from the collection and vetting of names to the arrangement of these names on the memorials. Moreover, all sectors of society as well as workers were expected to be involved in creating the memorial in order to foster sense of community and help the family members of the memorialized workers transform their trauma from personal tragedy to public affirmation. In terms of meaning, the point in time at which a labor memorial is viewed impacts greatly on a viewer’s interpretation of its text. If a memorial expresses superficial sympathy to the victims while avoiding assigning responsibility for the memorialized incident/injury, viewers may be more prone to experience negative feelings and adopt an opposing interpretation of the memorial text.
In summary, as ensuring the safety of labor is in the national interest, memorials commemorating the victims of work-related incidents need not be tied to engineering
necessary to avoid fostering two, mutually exclusive views of history. The best commemoration to the past involves continuous interaction and communication with the present. Establishing a labor memorial using a democratic participation approach promotes community identity and subsequently creates a platform for public dialogue among those who view the memorial after it has been installed and dedicated.
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