Utilisation of Indigeneity | SOAS University of London
Channel: SOAS University of London
Date: 14/03/2018

This seminar titled "Utilisation of Indigeneity: An Examination of the Politicisation of Aboriginal Heritage in Taiwan" was given by Daniel Davis on 30 January 2018 at the Centre of Taiwan Studies, SOAS University of London.
You can find out more about this event at https://goo.gl/Hos9Xn

Since democratization, the shifting political and social landscapes of Taiwan have led to renewed nation building projects to reaffirm national identity and the reconfiguration of economic and diplomatic policies to promote stability. The imagery of the minority aboriginal groups has become central to the promotion of multiculturalism and the economic and political relocation of Taiwan into Southeast Asia. This research aims to explore the role of the indigenous populations of Taiwan and the Austronesian narrative as a source of power and legitimacy for successive administrations in the recreation of the national and international identity of the island. Specifically, the campaigns, central actors and limitations of the prominence of indigeneity in public and diplomatic discourse will be examined in parallel with the growth of legal recognition for indigenous group rights in an attempt to understand the effects of the political strategy on the indigenous communities.

Speaker Bio
As well as working with educational, community and arts projects in collaboration with the Indigenous Council, Daniel Davies is a PhD candidate at the National Sun-Yat Sen University in Kaohsiung exploring the articulation of aboriginal identity in multicultural Taiwan.

Daniel first began his research as a student of International Development Studies at the University of Sussex focusing on the ‘Taiwan miracle’ and the social consequences of rapid economic development and political transformation. First travelling to Taiwan in 2009 to study at the National Taiwan University and returning later to participate in community development projects, he soon took a specific interest in the post-typhoon relocation of indigenous peoples of Pingtung County. During his time at SOAS, as part of the Taiwan Studies MA programme and now as PhD candidate, Daniel has continued his research into the significance of the aboriginal peoples of Taiwan in national party politics and the importance of Austronesian heritage in diplomatic campaigning.