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A Dichotomy Dismantled – Reflections on National Identity Among Supporters of Third Force Political Parties in Taiwan

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A Dichotomy Dismantled – Reflections on National Identity Among Supporters of Third Force Political Parties in Taiwan Name: Ari-Joonas Pitkänen Date: 22 December 2017 MASTER’S THESIS A DICHOTOMY DISMANTLED Reflections on National Identity among Supporters of Third Force Political Parties in Taiwan Centre for East Asian Studies Faculty of Social Sciences University of Turku 2/117 The originality of this thesis has been checked in accordance with the University of Turku quality assurance system using the Turnitin OriginalityCheck service. 3/117 UNIVERSITY OF TURKU Centre for East Asian Studies / Faculty of Social Sciences PITKÄNEN, ARI-JOONAS: A Dichotomy Dismantled – Reflections on National Identity among Supporters of Third Force Political Parties in Taiwan Master’s Thesis, 111 p., 6 p. appendices East Asian Studies December 2017 This thesis explores Taiwanese national identity among supporters of so-called “Third Force” political parties that have emerged as an alternative to Taiwan’s two “old” parties, the KMT and the DPP. The Third Force parties are taken as a manifestation of a stronger Taiwanese identity in a society long characterised by competing Taiwanese and Chinese identities. Taiwanese identity has strengthened in surveys simultaneously with Taiwan’s deepening economic and political integration with China in 2008–2016, and the establishment of the Third Force parties can be seen as a counter-reaction to increasing Chinese influence over Taiwan. This thesis analyses these developments by examining how supporters of Third Force parties define and understand their Taiwanese identity and how this identity relates to Taiwan’s history and the recent socio-political developments, particularly the deepening integration with China. Based on a theoretical background of social constructionism and interdependence in international relations, this thesis uses secondary research to explore the history and contemporary developments of Taiwanese identity and primary research through qualitative semi-structured interviews with Third Force supporters, complemented by an interview with a Third Force politician. The national identity of the interviewees is examined through qualitative content analysis. Additionally, the study includes the author’s personal field observations from Taiwan in 2016–17. The results indicate that Third Force supporters construct their identity through democratic civic values. Thus, their rejection of Chinese identity arises from the lack of similar values in China. This sense of identity has evolved dynamically through societal functions such as education and life experiences within the context of contested official and popular nationalisms. Owing to this identity, the Third Force supporters wish that Taiwan could become a “normal” country whose existence is not defined in relation to China. A similarly broader focus is desired in domestic politics to break the old dichotomy of the KMT and the DPP. Through comparisons with earlier research, this study proposes a model of national identity among Third Force supporters. It depicts a civic community that governs a multitude of ethnicities, political actors, and international networks grounded in shared civic values. Adherents to this model reject ethno-nationalism and the dichotomous struggle between Taiwanese and Chinese identities by asserting an inclusive and flexible yet overtly Taiwanese civic identity. Further research should be conducted to establish the validity of this model and its relation to Taiwanese society in general. Keywords: national identity, nationalism, social movements, political parties, international relations, interdependence, Taiwan, China. 4/117 Table of contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 10 1.1 Research questions ................................................................................... 13 2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND DEFINITIONS .......................................... 15 2.1 Social constructionism ................................................................................. 15 2.1.1 Identity as a dynamic experience of sameness and otherness ............ 16 2.1.2 The social construction of nationhood .............................................. 18 2.1.3 The ingredients of a nation: Ethnic and civic dimensions ................. 22 2.2 Interdependence in international relations .................................................... 24 2.2.1 Complex interdependence ................................................................ 24 2.2.2 Asymmetric interdependence across the Taiwan Strait ..................... 26 3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND FIELDWORK ............................................................ 31 3.1 Methodology ................................................................................................ 31 3.1.1 Qualitative interviews with Third Force supporters .......................... 32 3.1.2 Instant messaging in qualitative research .......................................... 35 3.1.3 Content analysis and coding ............................................................. 36 3.1.4 Pilot study ........................................................................................ 37 3.2 Fieldwork process ........................................................................................ 39 3.2.1 Supplementary research and observation in Taiwan.......................... 39 3.2.1 Interviewing in Taiwan .................................................................... 40 3.2.3 Building a coding frame with NVivo ................................................ 44 4 THE NATIONAL IDENTITY QUESTION IN TAIWAN ....................................... 46 4.1 The origins of Taiwanese national identity ................................................... 46 4.1.1 Ball of mud: Taiwan as an imperial periphery .................................. 47 4.1.2 The Japanese colonial period and the dawn of nations ...................... 50 4.1.3 Re-Sinification and ethnic dichotomisation under KMT rule ............ 53 4.2 Identity and politics in contemporary Taiwan ............................................... 57 4.2.1 Democratisation and political dichotomisation ................................. 57 4.2.2 Taiwanese identity in the 21st century ............................................... 62 4.1.3 The Sunflower Movement ................................................................ 68 4.1.4 From activism to politics: The Third Force ....................................... 71 5 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS .................................................................................. 75 5.1 Reflections on Taiwanese identity in personal life ........................................ 77 5.1.1 Unambiguously diverse: Identity and ethnic background .................. 77 5.1.2 Becoming Taiwanese: Dynamic identity construction ...................... 81 5.2 Reflections on Taiwanese identity in politics and society ............................. 85 5.2.1 Expanding the horizon: The internationalisation of interdependence 85 5.2.2 Tactics of loyalty: The Third Force in domestic politics ................... 93 5/117 6 CONCLUSION: A DICHOTOMY DISMANTLED ................................................ 99 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 105 APPENDICES .......................................................................................................... 112 Appendix 1: Interview frame and questions for Third Force supporters ... 112 Appendix 2: Interviewee details .............................................................. 114 Appendix 3: Coding frame ...................................................................... 115 Appendix 4: Questions for NPP legislator Freddy Lim ............................ 116 6/117 Tables and figures Tables Table 1: Dimensions of nationhood and national identity. ....................................... 23 Table 2: Taiwan-China trade imbalance, 2001–2015. .............................................. 28 Table 3: Mainland Chinese tourists in Taiwan, 2008–2016. ..................................... 28 Table 4: Interview locations. ................................................................................... 42 Table 5: Power relations in Taiwanese politics after democratisation. ..................... 61 Table 6: Taiwanese/Chinese identity in recent surveys. ........................................... 64 Table 7: Votes for the NPP and the GPT-SDP Alliance in the 2016 legislative election by region. ............................................................................ 76 Table 8: Interviewees’ international mobility .......................................................... 89 Table 9: Interviewees’ reasons for supporting Third Force parties. .......................... 94 Figures Figure 1: Taiwanese/Chinese identity in Taiwan, 1992–2017. ................................. 63 Figure 2: Unification/independence stances in Taiwan, 1994–2017. ........................ 65 Figure 3: Pro-independence campaigner in Taichung (photo by author). ................. 87 Figure 4: NPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang speaks at the marriage equality protest in Taipei (photo by author). .................................................................. 97 Figure 5: The "civic identity" model of Taiwanese identity among Third Force supporters....................................................................................... 101 7/117 Abbreviations ARATS Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (China) CCP Chinese Communist Party CSSTA
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