Language, Politics and Identity in Taiwan
traces the intertwined paths of five sets of names Taiwan has used to name China since the KMT came to Taiwan in 1949: the derogatory "Communist bandits"; the ideologically focused "Chinese Communists"; the seemingly neutral geographical designators "mainland" and "opposite shore/both shores"; and the ethnic and national label "China," with the official designation, "People's Republic of China." In doing so, it explores how Taiwanese identities are constituted and reconstituted in the shifting and switching of names for China; in the application of these names to alternative domains of Taiwanese life; in the waning or waxing of names following tides of history and polity; and in the increasingly contested meaning of names. Through textual analyses of historical archives and other mediated texts and artifacts, the chapters chart Taiwan's identity negotiation over the past half century and critically evaluate key interconnections between language and politics.This unique book will be of great interest to students and scholars of Taiwan studies, Chinese politics, communication studies and linguistics.
Hui-Ching Chang is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and Associate Dean for the Honors College at the University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.
Richard Holt is Professor of Communication Studies at Northern Illinois University, USA.