Taiwanese Racial Identity: Challenging U.S. Racial Discourse

• In Event: 115 - Section on Asia and Asian America Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 01. Bumpy-line Assimilation among Asian Americans

Abstract

The foreign-born Taiwanese population in the United States come from a politically divided homeland where Chinese national identity has been declining and Taiwanese national identity has been on the rise since the 1990s. Studies in Taiwan have focused on the link between national identity and ethnic identity among Taiwan nationals, but little research has been conducted in the United States concerning the link between national identity and racial identity for Taiwanese Immigrants. Using data from the 1980, 1990, and 2000 5% Integrated Public Use Microdata Series-USA (IPUMS-USA) samples I examine how Taiwanese immigrants have racially identified themselves in each U.S. Census and if their racial identity choices are significantly different across time. Findings reveal a significant decrease in Chinese racial identity and an increase in Taiwanese racial identity from 1980 to 2000, exemplifying a pattern of racial identification similar to the shift in national identity that occurred in Taiwan since the early 1990s. Furthermore, this paper highlights how racial formation theory provides a unique framework for analyzing the case of racial identification of Taiwanese immigrants.

Author

• Brittany Rico, Texas A&M University