Identity in the Shadow of a Giant: How the Rise of China is Changing Taiwan

Co-authored by four high-profile International Relations scholars, this book investigates the implications of the global ascent of China on cross-Strait relations and the identity of Taiwan as a democratic state. Examining an array of factors that affect identity formation, the authors consider the influence of the rapid military and economic rise of China on Taiwan's identity. Their assessment offers valuable insights into which policies have the best chance of resulting in peaceful relations and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and builds a new theory of identity at elite and mass levels. It also possesses implications for the United States-led world order and today's most critical great power competition.

Table of Contents:
Identity in the Shadow of a Giant: How the Rise of China Is Changing Taiwan Taiwan in Historical Perspective The Problématique of Taiwanese Identity Theorizing about Identity, Change in Capabilities and Dyadic Relations: An Approach Based on Analytic Eclecticism and Systemism Elite Reflections Popular Reflections (Survey I) Factors Influencing Identifying Only as Taiwanese: A Layered Empirical Approach (Survey II) A New Vision of Taiwanese Identity, the Rise of China, Cross-Strait Relations and the United States in Northeast Asia

About the Author :
Scott Sigmund Gartner is Provost and Academic Dean of the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. Chin-Hao Huang is Assistant Professor of Political Science and Head of Studies in Global Affairs at Yale-NUS College. Yitan Li is Associate Professor, Chair of Political Science and Director of Asian Studies at Seattle University. Patrick James is Dornsife Dean's Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California.

Review :
"This is a timely and important book addressing the political identity of Taiwan's people. It is especially germane to rising tension across the Taiwan Strait in a time of deteriorating Sino-American relations." Steve Chan, University of Colorado, Boulder "Contemporary students of China and historians alike should read this well-written book." Peter Kien-hong Yu, National University of Singapore "This detailed analysis unpacks the main factors that play into cross-Strait tensions between China and Taiwan, and provides a base from which to develop policy prescriptions intended to manage the conflict and maintain peace in a tense region of the world. A tour de force and a must-read." Jeannette Money, University of California, Davis