The island of Taiwan, located around 160 km east of China, has existed amongst contention and confusion for centuries, with a complex history of foreign occupation beginning in the mid-seventeenth century with the Dutch and only ending after the Nationalist Chinese Party’s (the KMT’s) relocation in the mid-twentieth century, at which point the desire of the people to rule and be free in their own country began shifting the notions of Taiwan and the Taiwanese. It was at this juncture that the processes of democratization and national identity formation collided and have since progressed as an influential parallel to the present day, in which Taiwan is now an established democratic nation with the majority of its citizens identifying as Taiwanese, distinct from the periods of foreign rule in the past and the present threat from across the Strait. An analysis of this paralleled progression through history is essential to fully comprehending the deeply embedded notions of democracy and national identity on the island which are currently influential factors shaping the domestic outlook towards the continuing cross-strait dilemma. Drawing on the academic literature and data from ESC (Election Study Center) and TEDS (Taiwan Election and Democracy Studies), a synthesis of agent- and process- oriented approaches, which emphasizes the roles of political elites, civil society and historical context, will be employed in this study to explore the parallel of democratization and Taiwanization in postwar Taiwan. / The island of Taiwan, located around 160 km east of China, has existed amongst contention and confusion for centuries, with a complex history of foreign occupation beginning in the mid-seventeenth century with the Dutch and only ending after the Nationalist Chinese Party’s (the KMT’s) relocation in the mid-twentieth century, at which point the desire of the people to rule and be free in their own country began shifting the notions of Taiwan and the Taiwanese. It was at this juncture that the processes of democratization and national identity formation collided and have since progressed as an influential parallel to the present day, in which Taiwan is now an established democratic nation with the majority of its citizens identifying as Taiwanese, distinct from the periods of foreign rule in the past and the present threat from across the Strait. An analysis of this paralleled progression through history is essential to fully comprehending the deeply embedded notions of democracy and national identity on the island which are currently influential factors shaping the domestic outlook towards the continuing cross-strait dilemma. Drawing on the academic literature and data from ESC (Election Study Center) and TEDS (Taiwan Election and Democracy Studies), a synthesis of agent- and process- oriented approaches, which emphasizes the roles of political elites, civil society and historical context, will be employed in this study to explore the parallel of democratization and Taiwanization in postwar Taiwan.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:CHENGCHI/G0100926018 |
| Creators | 任凱蒂, Katherine Rose |
| Publisher | 國立政治大學 |
| Source Sets | National Chengchi University Libraries |
| Language | 中文 |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Rights | Copyright © nccu library on behalf of the copyright holders |
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