Conception and Re-conception of National Identity in the History and Democratization of Taiwan

Never formally entered into large-scale warfare and recognized internationally as an independent state, Taiwan became a unique case to examine the conceptions of national identity. Using a qualitative review of news articles and historical analysis, this thesis concludes that Taiwan's quest for a distinctive political identity is a dynamic process founded upon its history and explicitized through democratization. The findings show that differentiation from mainland China is at the core of the process and that the source of such difference is articulated through an emphasis on freedom, elections, and autonomy, from both the elite level and the more mass level. Overall, this thesis contributes to works on the origins of nationalism and identity construction by highlighting the role of democratization as the primary axis along which a Taiwanese national identity has emerged contrary to that of the mainland.