This study provides a descriptive analysis of the formation and transformation of elitist nationalist ideologies in Taiwan. Conflicting interpretations and visions of a Taiwanese nation are examined against the ‘ideal type’ theoretical distinction between civic nationalism and ethnic nationalism, in chronological order – namely, under Japanese colonisation (1895-1945), during the four decades of martial law (1945-1985) and afterwards (1986-2000). The study demonstrates that the interaction between two parallel discursive constructions of a Taiwanese nation was to a large extent conditioned by the fluid historical context in which the politics of nationalism were played out.

Xiaokun Song obtained a Master’s degree in European Politics, Culture and Society in 1998 and a PhD in Political Science in 2004, both from the Free University of Brussels (VUB). Her research interests include identity politics, nationalism and EU-China relations. From 2005 to 2007 she worked as a senior researcher at the Institute for European Studies (IES) at the VUB, in charge of a project on EU-China relations. Since 2007 she has been a lecturer at South China Normal University where she teaches courses on European culture and languages.