Vol. 6, No. 2 (2010): 1–22.
Abstract
Southeast Asian and Chinese women have been marrying Taiwanese men since the 1980s. Nonetheless, cross-border marriages were not common until the 1990s, when the ″Go-South Policy″ was implemented. Unfortunately, these cross-border marriages have become commoditised. In addition, misperceptions broadcasted by the mass media have stigmatised these self-titled Taiwan new immigrant females (or TNIFs). This ethnographic research explores the self-perceptions of a particular group of TNIFs who have moved to Taiwan from urban regions in their homeland. Participant observation and in-depth interviews were employed to gather data, and these two sources of data were triangulated between one another. Research results indicate that many people came to Taiwan seeking a better life and not necessarily for economic reasons. However, their experiences in Taiwan have been largely unpleasant. Nevertheless, by working together with other TNIFs and Taiwanese people, they have come to call Taiwan their “home”.
Author’s bio
The author specialises in the field of multicultural education and bilingual education. Her most recent publications are: (1) Chen, Mei-ying 陳美瑩 (2009). Mengxian de shouhuzhe: Feiyimeiji xuetong de jiaoshi dianfan 夢想的守護者：非裔美籍學童的教師典範 (Dreamkeepers: Successful teachers for African American students). In Liu Meihui 劉美慧 (Ed.). Duoyuanwenhua jiaoyu mingzhu xuandu 多元文化教育名著選讀 (Selected readers of multicultural education). 台北：學富 Taipei: Xuefu Publisher, 151–178; (2) Chen, M. (2009). Roles of non-government organisations in cultural maintenance: A case study on a Chinese American community-based organisation. In Xia Chenghua 夏誠華 (Ed.). Xin shiji de haiwai huaren bianmao 新世紀的海外華人變貌 (The changing countenances of Chinese overseas). Center for Overseas Chinese Studies, Hsinchu, Taiwan: Hsuan Chuang University 玄奘大學海外華人研究中心,355–369. Currently she is working on the research “Vietnamese Culture in Taiwanese Context”.
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