Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The Class Context of Temporary Immigration, Racism and Civic Nationalism in Taiwan

2011; Routledge; Volume: 41; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/00472336.2011.553047

1752-7554

Robert Tierney,

Migration and Labor Dynamics

Abstract This article adopts a Marxist framework for examining the class bases of racism against guest workers in Taiwan, focusing on the legislative and administrative mechanisms adopted by the state to racialise and recompose the labour market and to politically repress immigrants, largely for the benefit of capital accumulation. It examines the ways in which racism against immigrants has constituted an important element of Taiwan's civic nationalism; an ideology which depicts guest workers' resistance as a source of social instability in the nation-state. The article also considers the ways in which the state has adapted to immigrants' struggles, together with the immigrants' and local workers' efforts to unite in solidarity against wage exploitation and racism. The article brings together evidence supporting the contention that Marxist analysis is the most effective means of explaining both racism and anti-racism. Key Words: Temporary immigrants/guest workersracialisationracismanti-racismclass strugglecivic nationalismthe state Acknowledgement The author expresses gratitude to the two anonymous referees who provided constructive criticism of the manuscript. Moreover, thanks go to Vic Satzewich, Edna Bonacich, Phil Griffiths and the late Jim Hagan, for helpful suggestions on earlier versions. The author is grateful to the Institute of Labor Research at the National Chengchi University of Taiwan, at which he was based during sabbatical leave in the second half of 2000, for arranging interviews at the Council of Labor Affairs and with representatives of labour unions. Notes 1 The Institute of Labor Research also organised translation, when necessary. I decided, early in the piece, to record face-to-face interviews directly onto paper, due to the anxiety which several migrants expressed about being recorded on tape. All interview notes are held by the author. 2 In response, the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (Citation2007) called the minimum wage adjustment "outrageous" and a "charade." 3 The Labor Union Law has been amended eight times since its promulgation in October 1929, most recently on 19 July 2000. Article 16 stipulates: "Any member of a labor union who is of the nationality of the Republic of China and has attained full 20 years of age may be elected director or supervisor of the union." 4 The temporary restriction diminished capital-intensive manufacturers' access to cheap, skilled labour. Realising the damage that this would impose on Taiwan's "high-tech industries," the CLA advised employers to hire local unskilled and semi-skilled labour, for the foreseeable future. It stated that it would be "accommodating" to labour-intensive manufacturers who had hired Filipinos (Council of Labor Affairs, Citation2000). 5 Chen Chu had a history of involvement in rights struggle stretching back further than her participation in the Ilha Formosa Meilitao Incident on Human Rights Day in December 1979, which resulted in her imprisonment for six years. 6 The initiative stipulated that "a local or foreign worker shall not be subject to employment discrimination simply due to the fact of carrying a baby." It dovetailed with principles encoded into Taiwan's Gender Equity Labor Law, introduced six months earlier. While enhancing the rights of pregnant migrants, the CLA prohibited employers from holding migrant workers' "forced savings" and identification papers (Council of Labor Affairs, Citation2002).