Cooking up Democracy

While democracies around the world are struggling amid the multiple crises of our time, the small island nation of Taiwan is proving remarkably resilient. Neither social division nor the growing pressure from the authoritarian People’s Republic of China seems to be weakening its citizens’ belief in their right to have a say. Together with former Digital Minister Audrey Tang, Monika Treut delves into the country’s activist scene, where democracy is more than just an institution. Through the activism of queer and feminist thinkers, we see what democracy in action can mean in a highly technologized age. A guide to replicating this model.

In 1987, Taiwanese people brought an end to nearly 40 years of military dictatorship. In 2014, activists from the Sunflower Movement occupied the parliament for three weeks and forced the government to listen to the voice of the people. Thirteen years after *The Raw and the Cooked*, Monika Treut returns to Taiwan—with the aim of learning from civil society actors what the secret is to a society where democracy is still a top priority. "COOKING UP DEMOCRACY" takes a look at the structures that make this possible and concludes: Freedom fosters creativity and bridges boundaries—from teahouses to digital spaces, from mothers to sons, from coding to care work.