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Understanding the Taiwan Indigenous Psychology Movement

A Sociology of Science Approach

Florida Institute of Technology, gabrenya{at}fit.edu

Mei-Chuan Kung

Florida Institute of Technology

Li-Yu Chen

West Virginia University

A five-part model of the development of indigenous psychology movements was proposed from a sociology of science perspective, two parts of which, the local relevance path and the conditions of work path, were examined in the context of the Taiwan Indigenous Psychology Movement (TIPM). The Local Relevance Path focuses on indigenous movements’ concerns with the cultural relevance of Western psychology, the validity of positivist epistemology and methodology, and the appropriateness of English-language communication. The Conditions of Work Path places the research activities and career strategies of non-Western psychologists in the context of their available resources and career contingencies. A study of 103 proponents and opponents of the TIPM provided support for both models, particularly in respondents’ dissatisfaction with positivist epistemology and their research resources. The TIPM is well known in Taiwan and garners moderate support, but strong divisions were found among subdisciplines and between locally versus overseas-educated respondents on most measures. Issues of qualitative versus quantitative methods, the influence of the Taiwanese cultural renaissance, and the validity of outsider analyses of indigenous movements are discussed.

Key Words: indigenous psychology • sociology of science • Taiwan • epistemology

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