Taiwanese Churches in Diaspora and Ethnic Identity Formation

Abstract

This article examines Taiwanese ethnic identity formation in the United States and its endurance in the Taiwanese Christian community. It is argued that the drivers of peak migration (1960s–1980s) have a time-capsule effect on immigrants, an effect that continues to influence present-day immigrant social relations. From the 1960s into the 1980s, Taiwanese immigrants infused their foundational ethnicity-based organizations, such as churches, with the spirit of Cold War-era democracy, self-determination, and anti-communism. For Taiwanese churches, this meant religious freedom is entwined with political freedom of expression. Today, we see the persistence of the time-capsule effect in existing Taiwanese churches. Ethnic boundaries that defined the Taiwanese community during the martial law period continue to shape contemporary social relations in church.