Taiwanese Society and Politics

For Australians, Taiwan typically figures only as an issue in the geo-politics of the East Asian region, as one half of “Cross-Strait Relations”. Yet, it is a fully functioning democracy and an independent state in all but name that can be studied in its own right. Taiwan has almost the same population as Australia but is about half the size of Tasmania. Like Australia, its indigenous population plays a significant part in politics and society, and Taiwan is also moving towards legalising same-sex marriage. This course provides an overview of contemporary Taiwan’s society and politics while also paying attention to the historical events that formed its present shape and which remain live issues today. It will analyse Taiwan’s political system and its established and new parties; its ethnic, linguistic and cultural mix; its economics and class relations; indigenous politics; questions of gender and sexuality; environmental activism; and the growing sense of what it means to be “Taiwanese”. The course will use Taiwanese films to supplement the lectures and seminars.