Identity, Language, and Education – A Case Study in Taiwan

Abstract

The concept of identity as well as its construction process is a complex one. In order to better understand this concept of identity, the objective of this study was to look at the life history of one Taiwanese woman who has lived through three educational systems in Taiwan. Her life story, collected through multiple interviews, is examined for moments and experiences which depict her views on her identity, and later analyzed with particular attention to the relationship between identity, language and education. Her narratives show that her identities are fluid, context-dependent and multi-faceted; characteristics of identity which have been proposed by other researchers in their studies. Following analysis of the stories she tells, I
have identified three main identities that she holds and have attempted to show how education and language pertain to this identity. It appears that the role of education and language is important and definitely has influence on
an individual’s identity and also an individual’s ability to become a member of selected groups. However, it would be careless to disregard other factors,such as family and socio-political situations because often these factors can
be linked to language and education as well and have emerged from this study as also being influential factors.