Remembering 2-28: space, memory and the Taiwanese identity.

Abstract

The 2-28 Incident of 1947 took place in the form of a violent conflict between the native Taiwanese and the Kuomintang (KMT) which represented mainland China. To many Taiwanese, the 2-28 Incident marks the beginning of the search for a Taiwanese identity. In this aspect, this dissertation argues that memories of the 2-28 Incident, especially contending ones, are important in the formation of the Taiwanese identity. Because of the different versions of memories which exist, political parties, namely the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), have made use of the version that is most beneficial to them to create different narrations of the Taiwan nation, thereby affecting the substance of the Taiwanese identity. Such manipulation of memory is shown through the use of space in the 2-28 Memorial Museum and these manipulations of memory, national identity and national narratives are, in turn, done to achieve the purpose of obtaining electoral support.