Publication details
Western Religious Identity versus Eastern National Identity: Building Taiwanese National Identity within the Public Statements of the Presbyterian Church
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| Year of publication | 2016 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The main aim of the paper is to observe how and why the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) created a new Taiwanese national identity within the public statements/important documents (zhongyao wenxian) published by the church between 1971–1995. The public statements of the PCT represent church’s declaration about various social issues, therefore they are the best source for observing an official viewpoint of the church. For the purpose, historical textual analysis and interpretation is used to explain why the PCT supported civic nationalism rather than nationalism based on common ethnicity. Civic nationalism defines nationhood by common citizenship, and it enable connecting people with different cultural and ethnic roots. The PCT’s mission was established between various ethnic groups, thus we can assume that’s the reason why the PCT didn’t want to favor only one ethnic group. Within the public statements, national Taiwanese identity was closely connected with a specific identity of the PCT. The paper analyzes this specific identity of the church as well. |
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