Taiwanese populism in the shadow of China

The ambiguous international status of Taiwan, the 38-year period of authoritarian rule, and the development of a competitive democratic polity have profoundly shaped forms of democratic mobilization and discourse. This politics has been further deepened by an increased awareness of human, and inter alia indigenous, rights. Notions of national identity, which include the advancement of multicultural and indigenous values, are in part due to the ongoing development of a national consciousness based on Chinese and liberal values. This process overlays profound political and cultural fissures as to whether Taiwanese identity is essentially part of a larger Chinese identity or a more geographically limited national identity. The chapter argues that Taiwanese populism is less about opposition to elite privilege and mass unmediated politics and more influenced by the ongoing question of Taiwanese national identity and how minority and indigenous groups fit into this democratic polity.