Yin , C. Chuang
(2011)
Kawaii In Taiwan Politics.
International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies (IJAPS), 7 (3).
pp. 2-17.
ISSN ISSN: 1823-6243
Abstract
By investigating the case of A-Bian Doll (扁娃, see Figure 1), this paper explores
how Kawaii (可愛い, the Japanese word for "cute") has pervaded in Taiwan, and
has since been appropriated by Taiwanese politicians as one of the significant
methods for advancing democratisation, and constructing collective imagination
and national identities. Particularly, this paper explores how Kawaii is
represented and reproduced in Taiwan politics. I will first discuss how Kawaii is
produced and consumed in Taiwanese people's everyday life in relation to the
process of democratisation and the formation of consumer society. I will then
move to the discussion of the A-Bian Doll and its accessories, which is arguably
the most significant example of how Kawaii is made tangible in Taiwanese politics.
I will examine how Kawaii is appropriated as a familiar element from Taiwanese
culture by former President Chen's staffers, and is then injected into ingredients
drawn from Taiwanese baseball culture and the features of Chen to produce the
A-Bian Doll and its accessories. By making and advertising the A-Bian Doll and
its accessories, Chen's staffers create a new culture, and then feed this back into
social circulation, mobilise supporters and gain votes.
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