Introduction

The Introduction clarifies the topic, the approach, and the methodology that is specially designed for this study. The book spans the past near century of Taiwan’s modern era and is organized around the three successive regimes of that period. The Introduction elaborates on the regimes, their policies, and their link with identity formation. It then turns to the methodology and the application of conceptual theories. The close ties between literature and the national self, the unfixed nature of identity, the ontology of becoming, and other concepts are discussed. The next section deals with the contents, the writers, and their works. The final section explores further aspects of Taiwan’s identity, specifically, the indigenous population and transnational identity. Taiwan is a strategic region of East Asia that contributes in multiple ways to the global economy. The Introduction concludes with the island’s cultural and political achievements.