Making ethnicity visible: State recognition, Hakka language policy, and cohort change in Taiwan

Abstract

Using the Taiwanese Hakka as a case, this study examines the relationship between perceived institutional visibility and ethnic identity across birth cohorts. As a non-immigrant society, Taiwan’s cultural diversity stems primarily from intra-Han Chinese linguistic and cultural differences, offering a valuable context for examining recognition politics in a non-immigrant and Asian setting. This study employs three waves of repeated cross-sectional national survey data (2011-2012, 2016, and 2021) to construct a pooled repeated cross-sectional cohort analysis. This study addresses three research questions: (1) Does Hakka ethnic identity vary across cohorts? (2) Is perceived institutional visibility associated with higher levels of ethnic identity? and (3) Does the association between perceived institutional visibility and ethnic identity vary across cohorts? Binary logistic regression models and cohort-specific regression models are used to assess whether the association between perceived institutional visibility and Hakka identity varies across historical generations. Theoretically, this study reconsiders the mechanisms of multiculturalism and recognition politics, thereby reinforcing their applicability and comparative relevance across contexts. Empirically, it integrates three national survey waves using cohorts as the core analytical unit and provides quantitative evidence on the relationships among language policy, perceived institutional visibility, and ethnic identity. At the policy level, this study illuminates the cultural and symbolic consequences of minority-language policy and offers empirical evidence for understanding how institutional visibility may sustain ethnic belonging across generations.