Politics and Cultural Nativism in 1970s Taiwan: Youth, Narrative, Nationalism

After 1949,Taiwan's elites saw themselves as embodying China in exile, but in recent decades, Taiwan has increasingly seen itself as a modern nation-state. A-chin Hsiau traces the origins of Taiwanese national identity to the 1970s, when a surge of domestic dissent and youth activism transformed society, politics, and culture. Hsiau examines how student activists, writers, and dissident researchers of Taiwanese anticolonial movements began to foreground Taiwans political and social past and present, laying the basis for Taiwanese nationalism and the eventual democratization of Taiwan.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 09 November 2021
Publisher: Columbia University Press

In the aftermath of 1949,Taiwan's elites saw themselves as embodying China in exile, both politically and culturally. The island, officially known as the Republic of China, served as a temporary abode to await the reconquest of the mainland. Taiwan, not the People's Republic, represented China internationally until the early 1970s. However, in recent decades, Taiwan has increasingly perceived itself as a modern nation-state.

A-chin Hsiau delves into the origins of Taiwanese national identity, tracing it back to the 1970s, a period marked by a surge of domestic dissent and youth activism that transformed society, politics, and culture in profound ways. Following significant diplomatic setbacks at the beginning of the 1970s, which posed a formidable challenge to Kuomintang authoritarian rule, a younger generation emerged, devoid of firsthand experience of life on the mainland. These individuals began openly questioning the status quo, challenging the prevailing Chinese nationalist narratives. Hsiau examines how student activists, writers, and dissident researchers of Taiwanese anticolonial movements, while accepting Chinese nationalist narratives, began to foreground Taiwan's political and social past and present. Their activism, creative work, and historical explorations played pivotal roles in bringing to light and reshaping indigenous and national identities.

In doing so, Hsiau argues, they laid the foundation for Taiwanese nationalism and the eventual democratization of Taiwan. This book offers fresh perspectives on nationalism, democratization, and identity in Taiwan, with significant implications spanning sociology, history, political science, and East Asian studies.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231200530