A Research on Political Socialization and National Identity of the Mainland Chinese Spouses in Taiwan – A Case Study of the Mainland Chinese Spouses in Taipei County
Date Issued
2006
Date
2006
Author(s)
Lee, Ming-Yueh
DOI
zh-TW
Abstract
The impact brought on the Taiwanese society by Mainland Chinese spouses has already been discussed academically. However, there is obviously a lack of researches on the participation of Mainland Chinese Spouses in the “national construction” or “social construction” in Taiwan. After marrying Taiwanese people, the Mainland Chinese spouses have to give up their original job, family, friends, and leave their familiar environment for Taiwan to obtain a Taiwanese identification and acquire their new family in Taiwan. On the one hand, facing the possibility of discrimination and being singled out, Mainland Chinese spouses must go through four phases if they want to live in Taiwan, which are “family reunion”, “stay”, “residence”, and “permanent residence”. On the other hand, under the political circumstance of Taiwan’s liberal democracy and the impact of plurally political socialization, it is particularly meaningful to research into the political socialization of the Mainland Chinese spouses in Taiwan.
In this research, I interviewed thirty Mainland Chinese spouses who were divided into two groups, the ‘experimental group” and the ‘control group”. There were fifteen Mainland Chinese spouses in each group. In the experimental group, I interviewed Mainland Chinese spouses who used to go to the “Taiwanese Training School for Daughter-in-laws” sponsored by the Arts Development Association of Taiwan; and in the control group, by random sampling, I interviewed those who did not attend the school. This research focuses on two points: One is to analyze the difference of the effects of political socialization between the two groups; and the other is to show overall how the Mainland Chinese spouses make use of the media of political socialization.
I discovered that the spouses in the experimental group could make better use of the media of political socialization and are better socialized politically than those in the control group. And the spouses in the experimental group come into contact with politics more plurally and extensively. Their national identity is closer to that of most Taiwanese people. Plurality is the characteristic of the Mainland Chinese spouses in Taiwan. For them, the mass media is the most important medium for their political socialization in Taiwan. Additionally, there are other media, such as families, the Internet, peer groups, and learning programs and courses. Via these media, there is no big difference in the effects of political socialization between Mainland Chinese spouses and the average Taiwanese people. Besides, I also found that Mainland Chinese spouses much consent to the “liberty and democracy” in Taiwan. Two factors, “Taiwan’s policy on Mainland Chinese spouses” and “Taiwanese people’s acceptance and admittance of Mainland Chinese spouses”, also affect “the Mainland Chinese spouses’ acceptance and identity of Taiwan”.
In conclusion, I have five proposals. First, Taiwan should develop its civil nationalism and construct its own national identity on the basis of liberal democracy. Second, Taiwan should establish its society to embrace more tolerance and plurality, which accepts divergence while seeking convergence. Third, the Taiwanese government should continuingly encourage non-governmental organizations to establish learning programs and training courses for Mainland Chinese spouses in Taiwan. Fourth, the Taiwanese government should make all school entrance examinations open to Mainland Chinese spouses while they are still in the “stay” phase, in order to make schools as the media of political socialization. Finally, the Taiwanese government should assure Mainland Chinese spouses of their right to work in order to help them adapt to the Taiwanese society more quickly.
Subjects
大陸配偶
Mainland Chinese spouses
Political socialization
National identity
Type
thesis
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