A social approach to preserve difficult heritage under neoliberalism – a leprosy settlement in Taiwan and beyond

ABSTRACT

Leprosy settlements have never been a priority in historic preservation due to their assumed lesser architectural value and marginalized historical significance in nation-building. Furthermore, they are considered ‘difficult heritage’ for their history of pain and shame. Recent external and internal factors have prompted significant opportunities for these settlements. However, either preserving or demolishing a leprosarium is a sensitive decision that is complicated by the influence of neoliberalism with its emphasis on a market oriented economy. The demolition of Losheng Sanatorium in Taiwan and the questionable conduct shown to its residents spurred a call for human rights that culminated in dramatic demonstrations led by youth activists and leprosy-affected residents. In this paper, I present the case of Losheng Sanatorium to illustrate three points: how difficult heritage can work as a catalyst to agitate social movements when national public projects are in conflict with historic preservation, how the bottom-up social approach to historic preservation of leprosy settlements includes both a people’s history and the physical environment, and how the preservation dilemma shared between Losheng Sanatorium and Sungai Buloh Leprosarium in Malaysia facilitated a transnational collaboration.

KEYWORDS:

• Leprosy
• social movement
• neoliberalism
• difficult heritage
• Losheng Sanatorium

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. IDEA (International Association for Integration Dignity and Economic Advancement) is the first international advocacy organization whose leadership is primarily made up of individuals who have personally faced the challenges of leprosy. It has branches in 19 countries, and IDEA Taiwan is one of them.

2. Kuomintang Party (KMT) was the solo ruling party that had governed Taiwan since 1945 under Chiang Kai-shek’s dictatorship, whereas the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was the opposition party, founded in 1986.

3. Taihoku is the old name of Taipei City during the Japanese colonial period.

4. Lin An Tai House Museum was originally built by Lin, Hui-Kung, a native from Anxi County of Fujian Province, China during the Qing Dynasty. The House Museum is famous for its delicate carvings such as the creative dragon carving on the front door.

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Shu-Yi Wang

Shu-Yi Wang is an assistant professor adjunct of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Chinese Culture University, Taiwan. She is particularly interested in social and cultural issues of historic environments. Issues dealt with in her research include social justice, heritage interpretation, colonial reconciliation and youth involvement. Her current research centres on transnational preservation of colonial leprosy settlements in the Far East.