Taiwanese Democracy: Media, Elections, and America

The politics of immigrant societies and the politics of immigrants' countries of origin are originally separate fields of expertise. However, cases like the United States and Taiwan, which mutually recognize dual citizenship, do not necessarily fit within that "framework."

A quarter-century ago, I served as a liaison for the Taiwan lobby in a U.S. House of Representatives office and handled strategies to attract Asian American votes, including Chinese Americans, at a Senate campaign headquarters in New York. Many Taiwanese Americans with dual citizenship vote in the presidential election in Taipei and then vote in the U.S. presidential election in the fall of the same year. Behind Taiwanese diplomats, who are not embassy staff, are Taiwanese American voters with U.S. citizenship, who cannot be ignored in local constituent relations. Within the divide between the Republican and Democratic parties, the divide between the Kuomintang and the Democratic Progressive Party was brought in with high purity, and it was necessary to be well-versed in Taiwanese politics for Asian American vote-gathering.

This practical experience in U.S. politics culminated in doctoral dissertation research using voter outreach within Asian American communities as a case study. In that sense, U.S. immigrant politics and overseas politics are two sides of the same coin specifically for Taiwanese people; this book is an "internal expansion" of U.S. studies, but also a "return to origins."

In U.S. political communication theory, there is research on the "Americanization of elections and media" around the world. However, previous research has concentrated on cases in the Anglosphere and Latin America, and comparisons with Asia have been limited due to cultural and language barriers. This book clarifies the unique process by which "American-style" elections and media are not limited to unilateral transplantation from the U.S., but permeate through the democratization process with immigrant networks in the U.S. acting as a catalyst. On the other hand, one cannot overlook the local political cultures that reject the import of "American-style" methods. Door-to-door visits by supporters are popular in the U.S., but they did not suit Taiwanese interpersonal relationships, leading to the creation of unique "motorcade campaigning." Even in similar multi-ethnic societies, the value and constraints of multi-language media by ethnicity differ. Public speaking in Taiwanese represents the revival of a "forbidden language" and carries a historical political nature distinct from public speaking in Spanish in the United States.

I became absorbed in the research because the "Asian uniqueness" resisting the "Americanization" of election campaigns and media was so fascinating. This book is a new form of U.S. studies and Taiwan studies that bridges comparative politics and regional studies based on ten years of field research in Taiwan.

At Keio University, which leads Japanese political science and regional studies, it is a great honor to have the opportunity to present this book to the world from SFC, the cutting edge of interdisciplinary research.

Taiwanese Democracy: Media, Elections, and America

Masahito Watanabe

Chuko Shinsho

336 pages, 1,188 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.