Language, Society, and the State: From Colonization to Globalization in Taiwan

Using Taiwan as a case study, this book constructs an innovative theory of a political sociology of language. Through documentary and ethnographic data and a comparative-historical method the book illustrates how language mediates interactions between society and the state and becomes politicized as a result; how language, politics and power are intertwined processes; and how these processes are not isolated in institutions but socially embedded.

Frontmatter --; Acknowledgments --; Contents --; Preface --; List of Acronyms --; 1. Language, society, and the state: Defining the terrain --; 2. Towards a political sociology of language --; 3. The coming of the state: Taiwan encounters China and Europe --; 4. State against society: The Japanese and KMT regimes --; 5. Democratization, pluralism, and multilingualism --; 6. Globalization, neoliberalism, and immigration --; Epilogue --; Appendix: Languages in Taiwan --; Bibliography --; Index