Relational citizenship: Examining Taiwanese membership development through immigrant framing in public discourses |
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Authors: | Hsin-I Cheng |
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Institution: | Dept. of Communication, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA |
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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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Keywords: | Citizenship immigration multiculturalism Taiwan |
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