Annotations (4)—Taiwan Identity

Annotations (4)—Taiwan Identity

Why should we investigate Taiwan identity?

Group identity is important in social science study. Humans are social animals. In the process of evolution, people will attach to a certain group mentally. From the aspect of psychology, when a person says he/she belongs to a group, it reflects what he/she will dislike according to his/her knowledge and the world he/she sees through his/her mind, which enable us to speculate whether he/she will support or object to the political and social issues, and what information his/her brain will emphasize or neglect when receiving it.

Group identity is often related to a nation’s decision to be independent or unified. For example, in the process of European integration, those countries with stronger nation identification are more inclined to be against European integration. Another example is that the younger generation in Cyprus, a country on the Mediterranean which is separated to the north and the south, also stands against the unification for identifying with the different territory.

The Rise of Taiwan Identity

Due to the replacement of the generation, there are fewer elders who had once lived in China and had fought the war. The younger generation in Taiwan who lives and grows on this land tends to identify themselves as Taiwanese.

For those individuals who change their identification in their older age, this transformation is often stimulated by the outer factors. In 1997, the 1995–1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis which is caused by the missiles fired by China made Taiwan identification increased by 10%(See the chart below). Likewise, before and after president elections, the rate of Taiwan identification will also increase.

Economical benefits will also influence Taiwan identity. The Taiwanese who feel that China’s economic is beneficial to Taiwan tend to have less Taiwan identification.

The Influence of Taiwan Identification and its Augment

The recognition of the difference between China and Taiwan, and the experience being oppressed by China will create Taiwan identification. The attitude, which is to recognize themselves as Taiwanese, will make people object to economical cross-Strait relations even though they know there could be monetary benefits, increase the rate to support the candidates who are closer to DPP and affect the recognition of parties which are more “blue.” Taiwan identification has become a more influential factor than provincialism in elections.

Does the Rise of Taiwan Identification Equal More Supporters of Taiwan Independence?

According to the chart which is released by Election Study Center National Chengchi University, while Taiwan identification has remarkably increased, the preference in the Unification-Independence stances of Taiwanese has not changed significantly. This may imply that Taiwan identification does not have direct relation to Taiwan independence, and there are still other factors involved, such as the recognition of the Constitution of Republic of China and the fear for China military might.

References:

http://whogovernstw.org/2014/07/25/austinwang4/