Abstract
Taiwanese identity has been defined, redefined and challenged at various spatial scales. At the local level, the renaming of streets in Taiwan after 1949 reflected the nationalist identity that was manifested in the Kuomintang (KMT). However, recent renaming trends, including the renaming of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, have challenged this identity in an attempt to redefine the Taiwanese people. At the national level, identity politics is tied-in with the four open presidential elections that have taken place since 1996. Through these four elections, Taiwan witnessed the emergence of the opposition part that attempted to shed all former identities associated with the mainland and craft a more "independent" identity. And yet a third scalar battleground for Taiwanese identity – the international –plays out in the sporting world, where Taiwanese athletes must compete under the name "Chinese Taipei." These three scalar battlegrounds for Taiwanese identity also serve as attempts to find a surrogate identity for Taiwan in the international community. Since the 1970s, Taiwan has lost its international standing, stripped of its "China" seat with the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee, and watched the number of countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan dwindle to 23 states. Given its current position, Taiwan is searching for a surrogate identity to replace its "lost" identity. Yet, this project is no small feat as attempts to construct a new (surrogate) identity clash with conceptions of what constitutes "Taiwaneseness." The overarching aim of this research is to bring to light the issues and debates concerning what it means to be “Taiwanese.” That the research focuses on Taiwan, a state that lacks significant international recognition, speaks to the contentious nature of nationalism and identity. The spatial rooting of the identity debate is important because the construction of identity is not fixed at one scale, but instead is multiscalar and multifaceted. Facing a global community that essentially turned its back on Taiwan’s sovereignty claims, the Taiwanese construct various representations of Taiwan that attempt to replace the lost identity that came with the lack of international recognition. In other words, the three case studies are evidence of Taiwan’s attempts to remain viable and to avoid marginalization. This dissertation explores this surrogation, and how each play out their respective scales.
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