The biopolitics of architectural conservation in postcolonial Taiwan

"Using the Chiayi Prison as a primary case study, this thesis examines the power and politics behind architectural conservation, because the Chiayi Prison exemplifies a problematic heritage under the dissonant ideologies, and its transformation into a museum reflects the shifting attitudes toward conservation of physical space and construction of cultural identity. This thesis questions: How does architectural conservation manipulate historical memories and narratives? How can cultural production change the local imagination and identity? To what ends has the fabrication of heritage been deployed?" -- Page [2].