University of Washington Taiwan Studies Program

The Taiwan Studies Program at the University of Washington (UW) was established in 2017 to promote research and education on Taiwan society and culture. Located in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, the Program is the newest addition to long-standing programs in China, Japan, and Korea Studies, and a host of other global programs ranging from Jewish Studies to Latin American and Caribbean Studies. With graduate and undergraduate courses, regular academic lectures, and public roundtables, we serve as a global center of knowledge for students, scholars, and the public. By working with UW’s Taiwanese student organizations, the growing ranks of UW Taiwanese alumni, and the regional Taiwanese community, the Program is also an important cultural and academic hub for the Taiwanese diaspora.

The Taiwan Studies Program thanks generous support from the Taiwan Ministry of Education, the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, an anonymous donor, and our local community members who have donated to our Taiwan Studies fund.

Despite maintaining de facto sovereignty, states like Taiwan find themselves unrecognized in today’s international system because another power claims the state as part of their territory. This fraught status, in turn, significantly affects the domestic politics of these places. Contested Taiwan explores Taiwan’s political landscape after the 2014 Sunflower Movement and brings a fresh perspective to understanding social movement mobilization and political party formation in “contested states.” In these states, political cleavages are defined not by traditional left-right issues but by questions of identity, territory, and what to do about the country that claims them. Drawing from 150 interviews with Taiwanese activists and politicians, as well as a comparative analysis of Ukraine, I reveal that traditional political science theories fall short when explaining the formation of movement parties in such contexts. Instead, I argue that looming existential threats and strained relationships between activists and established pro-independence parties drive social movements into formal political arenas.