Place, Identity, And National Imagination In Post-war Taiwan (routledge Research On Taiwan Series)
by Bi-yu Chang /
2015 / English / PDF
3 MB Download
In the struggles for political and cultural hegemony that Taiwan
has witnessed since the 1980s, the focal point in contesting
narratives and the key battlefield in the political debates are
primarily spatial and place-based. The major fault line appears
to be a split between an imposed identity emphasizing cultural
origin (China) and an emphasis on the recovery of place identity
of ‘the local’ (Taiwan).
In the struggles for political and cultural hegemony that Taiwan
has witnessed since the 1980s, the focal point in contesting
narratives and the key battlefield in the political debates are
primarily spatial and place-based. The major fault line appears
to be a split between an imposed identity emphasizing cultural
origin (China) and an emphasis on the recovery of place identity
of ‘the local’ (Taiwan).Place, Identity and National Imagination in Postwar Taiwan
Place, Identity and National Imagination in Postwar Taiwan
explores the ever-present issue of identity in Taiwan from a
spatial perspective, and focuses on the importance of, and the
relationship between, state spatiality and identity formation.
Taking postwar Taiwan as a case study, the book examines the ways
in which the Kuomintang regime naturalized its political control,
territorialized the island and created a nationalist geography.
In so doing, it examines how, why and to what extent power is
exercised through the place-making process and considers the
relationship between official versions of ‘ROC geography’ and the
islanders’ shifting perceptions of the ‘nation’. In turn, by
addressing the relationship between the state and the imagined
community, Bi-yu Chang establishes a dialogue between place and
cultural identity to analyse the constant changing and shaping of
Chinese and Taiwanese identity.
explores the ever-present issue of identity in Taiwan from a
spatial perspective, and focuses on the importance of, and the
relationship between, state spatiality and identity formation.
Taking postwar Taiwan as a case study, the book examines the ways
in which the Kuomintang regime naturalized its political control,
territorialized the island and created a nationalist geography.
In so doing, it examines how, why and to what extent power is
exercised through the place-making process and considers the
relationship between official versions of ‘ROC geography’ and the
islanders’ shifting perceptions of the ‘nation’. In turn, by
addressing the relationship between the state and the imagined
community, Bi-yu Chang establishes a dialogue between place and
cultural identity to analyse the constant changing and shaping of
Chinese and Taiwanese identity.
With a diverse selection of case studies including cartographical
development, geography education, territorial declaration and
urban planning, this interdisciplinary book will have a broad
appeal across Taiwan studies, geography, cultural studies,
history and politics.
With a diverse selection of case studies including cartographical
development, geography education, territorial declaration and
urban planning, this interdisciplinary book will have a broad
appeal across Taiwan studies, geography, cultural studies,
history and politics.