Taiwan’s Politics 2018: The Dilemma of the Movement Government

Declining Taiwanese nationalism, rising independent voters and more realistic public perception of democracy had contributed to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) electoral debacle in 2018. The structural dilemma of the DPP administration as a movement government significantly contributed to its rapidly declining public support. The DPP administration had to keep a delicate balance by compromising on its promises to various social movement and progressive forces after it took power, which consequently alienated many of its supporters.

Marital boundaries and highly achieving immigrants: How upward assimilation can lead to intermarriage resistance

According to the ‘Asian American marriage paradox’, Asian-origin groups generally achieve upward assimilation, but experience different paths to marital assimilation, including marriage to white natives. The author uses the perceptions of a sample of successful Taiwanese immigrant parents regarding marriageable partners for their children to examine how integration can result in resistance to intermarriage with whites. An analytical framework called marital boundaries is proposed to show how differences between ‘marriageable us’ and ‘undesirable them’ are perceived by individuals who occupy different family positions. Data from 37 interviews with highly achieving Taiwan-origin immigrants residing in San Diego reveal a long-term effect of homeland politics on their Asian-centered hierarchies for preferred marriage partners for their children. Impacted by a growing sense of Taiwanese nationalism starting in the 1970s, many interviewees described a moral line between different Asian groups that helped them define their marital boundaries. The data provide evidence of a tendency among Asian immigrants to follow segmented assimilation paths based in part on transnational influences. The findings challenge assumptions found in the immigration literature that define intermarriage with whites as a form of social mobility, as well as descriptions of Asians as a single homogeneous category.

The Dialectic of Nationalism and Democratic Governance in Taiwan

Taiwan’s postwar political system has undergone manifold changes leading to distinct modalities of democratic governance. This paper argues that the key to understanding and conceptualizing the dynamics behind the evolution of the island republic’s different modi operandi of democratic governance lies in the dialectic of Taiwanese nationalism that emerged over several decades in response to historical and political circumstances. Specifically, this paper investigates how this dialectic shaped two distinct patterns of democratic governance (statecentric vs. human-centric) over time and how this process was influenced by public discourses as well as historical contingencies. Furthermore, the paper elaborates on why humancentrism is more likely to safeguard democratic development and regional security than China-centrism.

Nationalism, Democratisation and the Taiwan Question

Chapter 4 compares nationalism and democratization in Taiwan and China, and, in particular, seeks to develop an understanding of the rise of Taiwanese nationalism and its impact on democratization, as well as the impact democratization has on the politics associated with the national identity question. It examines the effects of democratization and nationalism that continue to contribute to the outcome in managing the national identity conflicts across the Taiwan Strait.

Engaging with the Enemy: China-Taiwan Economic and Strategic Relations After 2008 and Beyond

The improvement of the China-Taiwan relationship since 2008 reshapes not only the economic ties between Taipei and Beijing but also the security dialogue over the Taiwan Strait. A new economic framework agreement (ECFA), multiple exchanges and high level meetings have characterized the re-engagement between two traditional enemies. In parallel, the development of a “Taiwanese” nationalism, that is slowly replacing the traditional “Chinese” nationalism that deeply changes the nature of the relation, as well as its finality, has been observed. This article explores the current Cross-Strait relation-ship. Instead of focusing on the possibility of a reunification, it suggests that deepening economic and cultural cooperation might boost confidence that will implement possible peace agreement in a longer term.