The following blog post was written by fellow UHPer and Fall 2022 SURE Award recipient, Anais Fang (International Affairs, concentration in Asia Studies, ’23). Read on about how Anais plans to utilize the SURE Award funding to further expand upon her research experience!
My research emerged from my long standing desire to marry the disciplines of my undergraduate studies into a comprehensive project. Having studied international affairs, Asia studies, and peace studies separately in the classroom, I wanted to find and explore the real-life intersection of these disparate fields. As a Taiwanese-American, I decided that centering my work around a country I felt connected to made the most sense. That is how my research question was first formulated. I wanted to understand the extent to which education initiatives influenced Taiwanese national identity, and how the shift in national identity altered the state of peace in the Taiwan Strait.
This project aimed to explore cross-Strait relations following the Chinese Civil War (1949-present) from the interdisciplinary perspectives of domestic politics, soft power, and peace studies. It served as a continuation of my work at the Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) and expanded on my research in GW’s Peace Studies program, which were centered around identifying the weight of education initiatives on national identity over the course of Taiwan’s democratization process. The project investigated the Sinicized national identity fostered under Taiwan’s one-party state and its evolution into a nativized identity following the nation’s robust democratization efforts. Once a relationship between education and identity was established, I was able to conduct a comparative study to determine the significance of shifting national identities in fostering and maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait.
This project has provided me with the opportunity to advance my research in a professional direction, seamlessly marrying my interests in international affairs and peace work. My academic endeavors have transcended the bounds of the traditional classroom experience and expanded into a robust process that interacts with the Taiwanese community through conducting expert interviews, seeking primary sources, and exploring alternative mediums of information. It has served as an extension of my work at the Global Taiwan Institute and beyond.
I see this project as an active pursuit of knowledge that will prepare me to translate seemingly abstract concepts into tangible Taiwan policy solutions and bridge the information gap for policy makers. As a continuation of this project, I plan on submitting my final manuscript to the International Journal of Taiwan Studies and proposing my work for a panel at the North American Taiwan Studies Association’s Annual Conference. If accepted, I plan on applying the SURE award to supplement travel costs. I am grateful to the SURE grant, as it has provided me with the resources to fully dedicate myself to my research endeavors. I am excited at the prospect of using the research, writing, analytical, and interpersonal skills I have gained from working on this project to navigate post-graduation career development and a future in public policy.
Interested in applying for your own SURE Award funding? Find out more about the application process here!
