Jo-Tzu Huang

Jo-Tzu is a postdoctoral fellow in Department of Anthropology at University of Toronto. Her current research focuses on the trans-Pacific trade of sea urchins that connects British Columbia with the East Asian market. Drawing upon the lens of multispecies ethnography, this research seeks to elucidate the evolving interspecies relationships surrounding sea urchins as early as from the time of maritime fur trade and to the contemporary formation of a global commodity chain that has turned this species into a highly coveted delicacy. 

Jo-Tzu completed her Ph.D. in Geography and Planning at University of Toronto. Her doctoral research examines how a techno-vision of modern fishery management, saibaigyogyo (sea farming or stock enhancement), was introduced from Japan to Taiwan in the 1970s, igniting decades-long, though intermittent, efforts by fishery experts to materialize this ambitious plan despite largely unfulfilled results. The study particularly focuses on a recent project that integrated sea farming with community-based fishery management and rural revitalization initiatives. This newly launched project marks a shift in Taiwan fishery experts’ approach to saibaigyogyo—one seeks not only to enhance marine environments but also views rural coastal communities as objects in need of “improvement.” Drawing on ethnographic methods, the dissertation uncovers environmental politics, the everyday effects of the project, as well as the more-than-human frictions encountered. 

Jo-Tzu’s previous research focuses on water infrastructure in urban Taiwan, shedding light on the entanglements between environmental controversies, urban politics and post-industrial transformation. Her work also illuminates how water plays a role in shaping the imaginaries of urban modernity. 

Selected publications:

2022. Water Infrastructure and the Imaginary of Unfinished Urban Modernity in Taiwan. The Professional Geographer,75(2), 278–287.