The Historical Evolvement Of The Native Taiwanese Ethnic Consciousness

At the beginning of the20th century, the concept of the national identity in Taiwansociety has gradually transited from unitary to diversified recognition paths. Influencedand led by “unification and independence”, the separated expression of “Taiwanese”and “Chinese” indicates a dangerous signal for the Chinese national identity. In thisthesis, the term “native ethnic group” was defined as the joint of Hakka, Hoklo peopleand aborigines, distinguished from mainlanders via the “provincial-ethnic groups” studymode. These people are the oldest residence, accounted for the largest proportion aswell as the most influential provincial population in Taiwan, acting as the principal partof the “Taiwanese”. The ethnic consciousness usually determines the selection ofpolitical parties and national orientations, as a result, failed to seize the connotation andthe boundary of the ethnic consciousness in time could lead to national separatism.Therefore it is crucial and urgent to study the evolution of the natives’ ethnicconsciousness. In this article, the discussion of Ernest Gellner about three existent waysof “nation navels” is applied in order to derive inference that the identity is a sign of theemotion and the link between individuals and their state. Further, it is considered thatthere are three different forms of “national identity”, including the native, thrust uponand self-achieved national identity. These three identity modes were applied to explainthe identity development in three typical Taiwan historical periods, consequently, theformation and transition of the ethnic consciousness under different historical contextwere discussed. History is the principle carrier of the identity generation, however,because of the perishability of human actions and historical events, the collectivememories tending to generate “structural amnesia” or “re-interpretation” easily.Therefore, the psychological causes of the ethnic consciousness evolvement have beenexplored in the thesis by integrating historical narrative. Emphasizing that diversifiedidentity did not form in one day and the common memories are the internal cause of theethnic “national identity”. The article indicates that, as an immigrant society, influenced by the common liveethnic fusion, group interests, Taiwan has generated native national identity. Stockholmsyndrome provided the psychological foundation and internal mechanism of the thrustupon “national identity”. Authoritarian rule became the transitional period between thereturn and alienation of the Chinese national identity, by using the “national education”replaced the concept of Modern China in native Taiwanese ethnic consciousness. Thus,it has been used as a prerequisite by “Taiwan independent” critics, like Lee Teng-huiand Chen Shui-bian, departing from the ethnic boundary and challenging the nationalidentity in political realm, created the “Taiwanese identity”.The aim of this article is to analyze the historical cause and the internal transitionalmechanism of natives’ diversified identity by exploring three modes of generationcontexts and causes for the national identity. It points out that, the ethnic consciousness,from the native local identity period, passed through the psychological assimilationduring Japanese occupation, and ethnic interests suppressed by the national government,developed into political action in the “localization” era. And it reversely impacts thecause of the diversified “national identity” in nowadays. Here I hope to find out theprocess of generation, detachment and alienation of the Chinese national identity inTaiwan, in order to investigate a practicable method for Taiwan’s return by analyzingthe two-way influence of “national identity” and ethnic consciousness.