In Taiwan, geographical research, especially human geography reflects contemporary political and social changes. This paper examines the transformation of geographical research under a period of social and political changes in Taiwan. After the Japanese colonization ended in 1945, The Republic of China, led by the Kuo Ming Tang (KMT, Nationalist Party) became the new ruler of Taiwan. In 1949, the KMT moved its government to Taiwan and placed martial law. Until martial law was lifted in 1987, Taiwanese society experienced political turmoil, and the academic environment was also affected. The history of geographical research in Taiwan began in 1946, when the first geography department was established at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), a university that specialized in training high-school teachers. Geography came under the Department of History and Geography until 1962, when an independent Department of Geography was established. The initial mission of the department was to cultivate patriotism and loyalty to the government. The second department was founded at the National Taiwan University (NTU) in 1955 with the meteorology division under the Faculty of Science. The third department of geography was established in 1963 at a private university, Chinese Culture University, and was affiliated with the university's Faculty of Science. Two other departments were established at Changhua University of Education and Kaohsiung University of Education in the 1990s. The fact that these departments were affiliated with the Faculty of Science shaped the initial characteristics of geographical research, which emphasized the physical sciences. This bias was also rooted in the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945), because the only Japanese geographer at that time, Tomita Yoshiro, specialized in geomorphology. After Japanese colonization, those geographers who had gained advanced degrees in Japan considerable influence on research in this field. They brought the prevailing Japanese methodology of geography, particularly of geomorphology, climatology, and regional/settlement geography. This methodology was characterized by detailed ethnographic field investigation. Due to this institutional background, during the early stage of the development of geography in Taiwan physical geography was predominant, while human geography was studied only as a part of regional and industrial geography. The political situation intensified this tendency in academia; themes related to political and social issues were avoided in academic research. The second stage of the development of geography was characterized by the emergence of social and cultural themes. After martial law was lifted in 1987, democratization advanced, triggering rapid social change. Geographers began studying socially related topics, such as urban geography, humanistic geography, and aboriginal studies. However, the dominant methodology of small-scale regional studies conducted using detailed fieldwork and interviews prevailed, while geographical thought, critical and alternative geographies remained on the margins. In the third stage after 2000, a new paradigm emerged in human geography, coinciding with the change in government and an upsurge of Taiwanese nationalism. Contemporary topics, focusing on globalization, social justice, gender, identity politics, migration, consumption landscape, and environmental problems became key issues. This shift reflected trends in the West, where many Taiwanese geographers had obtained their doctorates. In recent years, an increasing volume of government-commissioned research and interdisciplinary research on environmental problems and disaster prevention has been conducted within the realm of physical geography. In Taiwan, geography played an important role in promoting a sense of nationhood which resulted in an emphasis on geography education in the first stage. At present, geography in Taiwan is characterized by: (1) geographical education, (2) national projects on environmental problems, (3) and economic, social, and cultural geography on topical social issues. These three trends in geography will expand the possibilities of geography and resulted in a more significant role in not only education but also in Taiwanese society.
