David Wilson Wins National Central Library of Taiwan Research Grant

David Wilson, assistant professor of humanities at Harvey Mudd College, has been awarded a prestigious research grant from the Center for Chinese Studies at the National Central Library of Taiwan. This summer, Wilson will travel to Taiwan to conduct research for his interdisciplinary book, Music, Media, and Emotional Pedagogies of Citizenship in Modern Taiwan and China, which illuminates the central role of music in the construction of national identity by examining the entangled media histories of Taiwan and China. 

This research focuses on the final chapter of Wilson’s book, which examines the National Day Projection Mapping Show (National Day SLS) at the presidential office building in Taipei. The building, constructed in the Japanese colonial era, is a symbol of national pride in Taiwan, similar to the White House in the United States. Using cutting-edge projection technology and original soundtracks and narrations, this annual event transforms the building into a canvas for contemporary Taiwanese identity, shaping viewer understanding of culture and citizenship.

During his summer research, Wilson aims to secure interviews with key creative figures behind the show, including lead designer Agi Chen and composer Wang Hsi-wen. By gaining these insider perspectives, he hopes to shed light on how this spectacle of nationhood is assembled and how it articulates values like democracy, environmental stewardship and inclusion.

In Wilson’s previous interviews with Taiwanese audience members at the National Day SLS, people expressed the desire that this vision of Taiwan would reach a global audience. He hopes his scholarly account might increase Western understanding of the formation of contemporary Taiwanese identity.

To that end, in fall 2026, Harvey Mudd students will have the opportunity to take Wilson’s course Documents of an Island Nation: Taiwan through Documentary, Film, and Music, which will be taught in parallel with a course at National Taiwan University via the virtual workspace Gather.Town (provided with support from the Alumni Association Board of Governors). Harvey Mudd students and those in Taiwan will meet online throughout the semester to explore diverse viewpoints. At the end of the semester, HMC students will meet their Taiwanese counterparts in person when they travel to Taiwan for a winter break study tour, arranged by Wilson and Sarah Repetto, assistant dean for study abroad.