ABSTRACT
Being an ethnically divided society that is constantly under foreign threat, Taiwan has to face challenges related to nationalism in its transition to and consolidation of democracy. Accompanying democratization in Taiwan are the awakening of a long-suppressed Taiwanese consciousness, the society's quest for international recognition, and the surfacing of domestic disputes between Taiwanese nationalists and Chinese nationalists on the statehood issue. This paper aims to analyze the dynamic relations between Taiwan's democracy building, state making, and nation formation. The questions to be addressed here are why the Taiwanese identity surges so quickly and what the implication is for Taiwan's political future.
