Social construction of national identity

Taiwanese versus Chinese consciousness

Bibliographic Data

ID3036677
AuthorsFu-Lai Tony Yu (0000-0001-8524-5020), Fu‐Lai Tony Yu (Feng Chia University, corresponding author), Diana Sze Man Kwan (Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Year2008
Volume14
Issue1
Pages33-52
Publication date2008-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Identities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1350-4630 • E-ISSN: 1363-0296
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13504630701848515
OpenAlexW2062794554
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited32

The struggle to break away from the parent state and claim independence often results in political unrest, terrorist activities and even ethnic cleansing. Understanding the nature of the secessionist movement does not only preserve national unity, but can also avoid conflict and violence, and maintain peace. Irredentist and secessionist advocators generally defend themselves in terms of common blood, race or culture. None of them regards the issue from the human agency theory, namely Weber-Thomas-Berger's social construction theory. This paper uses phenomenological analysis to explain the origin of national identity and hence the emergence of a nation. It argues that social construction of national reality originates from everyday life experience taken for granted during socialization. Individuals make sense of the external world. Experiences taken for granted become the actor's stock of knowledge. A common scheme of knowledge shared by the community serves to differentiate in-group (nationals) and out-group (foreigners). Collective consciousness thus defines national identity and hence a nation. Unless people (both in-group and out-group) interact with and learn from each other, different stocks of knowledge taken for granted will create political conflict. This theory is applied to the Taiwan Strait conflict. People in Taiwan are searching for national identity, manifested in the processes of Sinicization and Taiwanization. The struggle between Chinese and Taiwanese consciousness is the underlying cause of conflict within Taiwan and across the Taiwan Strait. The growing tendency of Taiwanization and diminution of Sinicization in Taiwan render the Cross-Strait relation vulnerable. The paper concludes that Cross-Strait exchanges and communication provide opportunities for people to understand each other and re-define their national identity, hence resulting in a peaceful political resolution between Taiwan and mainland China

Aesthetics · Collective identity · Identity (music) · National consciousness · National identity · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Social group · Social identity theory · Social science · Sociology · Terrorism · Gender Studies · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics

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