LITERATURE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVILITY IN TAIWAN

Abstract

Sixty years ago, Taiwan society was very uncivil. Composed of many different native language groups, people had little regard for anyone other than those in their own social circles. Changes in social attitudes and behavior began to appear in the early 1990s, and not long afterward Taiwan had established a reputation as a very civil place, indeed. This paper narrates how this change took plane, examining the roles of the various factors: migration and economic development took people out of their local communities where they met and interacted with strangers; a democracy movement fomented the fall of an authoritarian government, native-soil literature helped create a mental Taiwanese identity, and social movements widened social identity, enabling people to see others as fellow members of a society that they valued.