陳信行Hsin-Hsing Chen, Kanjian bujie zhi wu: Gongye shehui zhong zhishi quanwei de wenhua shizuo 看見不潔之物︰工業社 會中知識權威的文化實作[Bad Stuff in Your Food and Other Pressing Matters: Cultural Practices in Institutionalized Epistemic Authorities in the Industrial Society] Taipei: Taiwan shehui yanjiu congkan 台灣社會研究叢刊[Academic books series of Taiwan: A Radical Quarterly in Social Studies], 2016. 320 pp. NT$320.

摘要

With the growing number of food safety scandals and toxic tort litigations, Chen Hsin- Hsing’s book Bad Stuff is an important and timely contribution to the Chinese STS literature. The scope of Bad Stuff is ambitious, covering “pressing matters” in industrial society from adulterated food and environmental toxins to occupational hazards, which he sees as three aspects of one single issue. Published soon after a district court in Taiwan ruled against the company RCA in a collective toxic tort case brought by former employees, Bad Stuff is a pioneer in the Chinese language STS literature that takes on science and law as two institutionalized epistemic authorities. Having taken part in an initiative led by members of the Taiwanese STS community to assist RCA’s former workers in their lawsuit, Chen also offers his observations on this court case.