Practices of Caring for War-Affected Others in Bookstores: A Case Study in Taipei

• In Event: Sociology of Culture Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): 14. East Asian Cinema & Visual Politics

Abstract

In the era of globalization, societies in peaceful regions continuously encounter images and narratives from war-affected areas through media, cultural spaces, and public discussions. However, “care” is not a simple moral act; rather, it is a social practice shaped jointly by emotional politics and cultural capital. Drawing on a theoretical framework of care, this paper examines how people in peaceful regions construct forms of distant care toward war-affected populations through cultural spaces, such as independent bookstores, and public discussion. It further analyzes the power structures and knowledge asymmetries embedded within such practices, as well as their potential benefits and risks.Through an analysis of the decoration, book selection, and activities of an independent bookstore in Taipei, this study aims to reveal the complexity of care: while it may foster cross-regional understanding, it may also unintentionally reproduce symbolic power and global inequality. The findings suggest that participants who express complex or ambivalent views may encounter moral scrutiny, and that caring practices often require cultural capital. In other words, not everyone can easily access the knowledge systems and discussions surrounding care for war-affected regions. The study also argues that the ways participants pay attention to war-affected regions reveal that distant care operates on multiple levels, and that bookstores can function as spaces of political awakening.

Author

• Linjie Zhang, University of Edinburgh