英文摘要 |
This article takes a critical look at the early stages of Taiwanese environmentalism from 1980 to 1986. The primary research focus is on who initiated the tradition of ecological protests-were they intellectuals or grassroots organizers? The role of intellectuals is well documented in the social movement literature. However; as catalysts for mass revolt, we have found their importance overemphasized at the expense of spontaneous grassroots action. We analyzed the actions taken by scholar-experts, members of Taiwan's political opposition, and grassroots organizers engaged with local environmental issues. Though their approaches were different, individuals in the first two groups may be considered as intellectuals because of their public use of knowledge in their interventions. Our conclusion is that their combined contributions to the movement were very limited, and that it was local grassroots organizers who are most responsible for starting the movement. |