The author researches the extensive and fast moving changes in Taiwan politics and society in the period 2004 – 2013, the period that he lived and worked as an expatriate in Taipei. This through a...Show moreThe author researches the extensive and fast moving changes in Taiwan politics and society in the period 2004 – 2013, the period that he lived and worked as an expatriate in Taipei. This through a critical approach to Taiwan’s heritage. At the start of the period under review, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was in power for the first time since its founding in 1986 at the end of Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) led marshal law period. In 2008 the KMT regained the government, providing for a unique insight in the practical implications of their ideological differences. Two interrelated issues dominate Taiwan’s politics, and with this Taiwan’s society. Externally this is the standoff between Taiwan and the PRC, internally it is the sharp divide within Taiwan’s society on many issues, explicit in the rivalry between the two main political parties. At the heart of these issues lies defining the Taiwanese identity. The PRC’s claim is based on Taiwan’s Chineseness, on Taiwan being an integrated part of China’s history and culture. Internally, the KMT and DPP carry the discussion on Chineseness or Taiwaneseness through to the extent that the public debate is immersed in the issue of identity. The ultimate question however is whether history and cultural heritage is the right approach to determine sameness or otherness. The author concludes this is not the case.Show less
