Cultural Difference, National Identity and Cultural Policy in Taiwan

Abstract

Few people share a common national identity in Taiwan because of its peculiar history. The strong tensions between the forces of cultural diversity (for example, ethnic differences, the rise of hybrid culture, and multiple identities) and homogenizing forces (the construction of a national identity) have continued through the various phases of Taiwanese history, affecting the Taiwanese version of multiculturalism. From the 1940s, the conflict between Chinese nationalism and Taiwanese consciousness led to a continuing crisis in Taiwanese society, where cultural policy was used to promote Chinese nationalism. The rise of Taiwanese consciousness challenged the dominance of Chinese nationalism in the 1970s, inevitably having an effect on the development of various cultural forms in the country. Since the 1990s, multiculturalism has been viewed as a new way to solve this conflict and to embrace the various cultural identities. This chapter addresses how cultural policy and its new emphasis on multiculturalism have influenced the formation of national identity in the case of performing arts in Taiwan.