The Dialectic of Nationalism and Democratic Governance in Taiwan

Abstract

Taiwan’s postwar political system has undergone manifold changes leading to distinct modalities of democratic governance. This paper argues that the key to understanding and conceptualizing the dynamics behind the evolution of the island republic’s different modi operandi of democratic governance lies in the dialectic of Taiwanese nationalism that emerged over several decades in response to historical and political circumstances. Specifically, this paper investigates how this dialectic shaped two distinct patterns of democratic governance (statecentric vs. human-centric) over time and how this process was influenced by public discourses as well as historical contingencies. Furthermore, the paper elaborates on why humancentrism is more likely to safeguard democratic development and regional security than China-centrism.