Abstract
Many studies point to the importance of parents in shaping the ethnic and/or political identity of their offspring. However, there is a lack of consensus and conclusion on the pattern of influence of fathers and mothers in the process of political socialization. While studies in the United States of America (USA) and Japan show the mother to be more influential than the father in transferring political identity to children, studies in China show the equal importance of both parents. We suggest that these differences are due to varying trajectories of modernization. Drawing from the case of Taiwan and the theory of compressed modernity, we demonstrate how modernization in Taiwan is a unique process that results in a pattern of both parents being agents of political socialization that affects the child’s sense of Taiwanese-ness. We also show the significance of a macro perspective for explaining differences in the micro-level socialization perspective.
Presenters
Yun Tzu ChangPhD Candidate, Sociology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., Hong Kong
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Compressed modernity, Identity, Political socialization, Taiwan
