The Politics of Taiwanese Identity: Internationalizing Political Affiliation and Party Platforms in Taiwan

Abstract

The question of Taiwanese reunification with China is one of international fame. Beginning with the formation of two separate states in 1949 following the Chinese Civil War, the political question of governing China and Taiwan under one state has divided the Taiwanese population on ethnic lines. Most broadly, this thesis asks: How do international politics affect ideas of ethnic identity? In Taiwan, how does the question of reunification affect how individuals and political parties express ethnic identity? To answer these questions, this thesis investigates (1) the political salience of ethnic identity in Taiwan and (2) the effects of reunification on party platforms toward other political issues domestically. Using survey data on presidential elections from Taiwan’s Election and Democratization Study (TEDS), I find that Chinese-identifying respondents overwhelmingly politically affiliate with the pro-reunification Kuomintang (KMT) whereas Taiwanese-identifying respondents tends to politically affiliate with the anti-reunification Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Interested in how politically salient ethnic identity affects party platforms on political issues unrelated to reunification, I investigate variation in platform on aboriginal rights as an issue which unintuitively receives heightened attention in Taiwan. Examining two case studies, I argue that both parties in Taiwan nominally support aboriginal rights in an effort to signal democratic values to the West (democratic signaling) while variation between party support is explained by interest in either showcasing or downplaying ethnic difference on the island (ethnic difference). This thesis shows that Taiwanese identity is internationally created and inherently political; while political affiliation in Taiwan is a means of identity expression for both individuals and political parties.