Dr. Albert Tzeng studied chemistry and psychology in Taiwan before obtained sociology degrees in LSE (MSc) and Warwick (PhD). He had visiting affiliation at Academia Sinica (Taipei), HKIHSS of Hong Kong University, and National University of Singapore during the course of doctoral research. He was awarded IIAS-ISEAS Postdoctoral fellowship for 2012-2013, and remained attached with IIAS for an ongoing project.
The project, Framing Asian Studies: Geopolitics, Institutions and Networks, aims to critically reflect upon on how the production and dissemination of knowledge about Asia was ‘socially framed’. It focused on the influence of geopolitical context, the role of various institutions (foundations, research institutes, journals and publisher) and the outlook of various knowledge networks. The project started with a successful conference on the same title (held in November 2013) and will conclude with the publication of a paper collection.
The analytical theme of this project derived from his doctoral thesis, Framing Sociology in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore: Geopolitics, States and Practitioner. The thesis maps and compares how sociology as an institutionalised discipline of teaching and research has been introduced, practiced and developed into different formation in the three East Asian societies. It also aims to interpret the observed trajectories in light of socio-historical contexts. The three cases share similarities in their colonial past, demographic majority, and developmental trajectories, while demonstrating great contrasts in post-WWII geopolitical statues and domestic political context. The thesis will be published by Ashgate in 2014.
Prior to academic pursuit, Dr Tzeng has worked as editor, marketing specialist, parliamentary assistant, election campaign manager and freelance writer. The interdisciplinary education and versatile employment history left me a keen interest in how the production, dissemination and utilization of knowledge are historically and socially embedded.
The project will map and compare how sociology as an institutionalised discipline of teaching and research has been introduced, developed and practiced in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. It also aims to interpret the observed trajectories in light of social-historical contexts. The three cases presented share some similarities in their colonial pasts, Chinese-populated demography, and development trajectories as “Asian tigers”. But they also demonstrate a sharp contrast in post-war geopolitical status and domestic political context.
Three levels of analytical categories are involved in the analysis: geopolitical, state-institutional, and (collective) practitioner-level. On the one hand, this project attempts to look beyond the national container to introduce various trans-border factors (e.g. scholarly migration, foreign funding and knowledge flow) into the analytical scope under the conceptual framework of a “world system of knowledge network.” On the other hand, the explanation sought is to be grounded on a sympathetic understanding of the actors and their psychological perspective.
How sociology was introduced and institutionalized in three locations along the post-war geopolitical structure will be traced. The “domestic disciplinary identity” will be explored based on a systematic bibliographic review. Various attempt of developing alternative social scientific discourse and their influence will be reviewed. A survey of the various modes of public engagement of sociologists will be interpreted and related to some contextual factors. The last chapter will assess the impact of recent higher education reform under managerialism and academic globalism on sociology.
Dr Albert Tzeng, an IIAS-ISEAS postdoctoral fellow, studied chemistry and psychology in National Taiwan University before obtaining postgraduate degrees in sociology in LSE (MSc) and Warwick (PhD). His PhD project involves visiting research at Academia Sinica (Taipei), HKIHSS of Hong Kong University and National University of Singapore. He was recipient of ISA RCHS Young Scholar Award, LSE Merit Award, MoE Scholarship for Science and Math Talent, and a Gold Medal in International Chemistry Olympia.
Prior to academic pursuit, he had worked as editor, marketing specialist, parliamentary assistant, election campaign manager and freelance writer. The various roles and his interdisciplinary background gave him a keen interest in investigating how knowledge is being produced, circulated, and politically entangled in contemporary society. This core concern is translated into a wide range of intellectual interest that includes sociology of knowledge, science and technology studies, intellectual history, education studies and political theories.