Author/Authors :
Sasaki، Tomonori نويسنده , , Lowe، Will نويسنده ,
Abstract :
Chen Shui-bian achieved an international reputation for his
promotion of Taiwan independence. Whilst that reputation may have been
well earned, the analyses on which this conclusion is based are frequently
flawed in two ways. First, by using an undifferentiated notion of independence,
they tend to conflate sovereignty with less threatening expressions
of Taiwanese identity and pro-democracy discourse. Second, by failing to
take into account the impact of immediate strategic context, analysts ignore
a fundamental element of democratic political communication. In our
empirical analysis of more than 2,000 of Chen’s speeches, we seek to
avoid both flaws by unpacking the concept of independence and taking
into account Chen’s strategic relationship with his primary audiences. Our
findings challenge popular portrayals of Chen, but more importantly they
have strong implications for policy makers and students of political rhetoric
with regard to current and future ROC presidents.
