Title

Relational citizenship: Examining Taiwanese membership development through immigrant framing in public discourses

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2018

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Abstract

This essay unpacks how new immigrants and citizenship are framed in public discourse in Taiwan. Since the 1980s, Taiwan has experienced significant demographic changes. As a postcolonial, neoliberal capitalist democracy, imbued with Confucianism and collective interests, Taiwan provides an intriguing case for study. Through analyzing discourses of new immigrants, relational citizenship emerged as a strategy to anchor and authenticate membership in Taiwan. This challenges discussions on belongingness beyond the language of law, economics, and humanitarianism, to address interactions that occur between citizens and im/migrants as interdependent and relational partners. Although the concept of relational citizenship is culturally specific, it may also be applied to other societies and contexts.

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