Title: The Rise of a New Working Class in Taiwan at the Beginning of a New MillenniumSubmitted by: Jou-juo Chu Associate Professor Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies School of Social Sciences National Sun Yat-sen University Kaohsiung, TaiwanThis paper attempts to present a clear picture of the social and political traits of the new working class in Taiwan. The rapid economic expansion in the late 1980s of Taiwanese society had bred a sizeable aggregate of new labor market entrants. This group of labor market entrants was most engaged in lower-level administrative jobs in the finance and insurance sectors. The enthusiasm for status consumption and a duty-free (obligation-free) moral scheme in relation to the performance of certain family-related social roles that constituted the central value system of these white-collar clerical and administrative workers gave them a middle-class contour. However, the determinant that made these lower-level white-collar employees stand out as the paragon of the new working class instead of the model of the new middle class was their active participation in union action to protect their rights and interests. Except for this working-class characteristic, the heartfelt support of these white-collar employees to promote an independent Taiwan-centered identity in the international community often shortened their political distance with the reformist-oriented middle class. Occasionally, this political disposition even brought them into an alliance with the middle class to press for further democratization. 'Return to Abstracts menuCarol Burnett Phone: 61 - 3 - 9349 1899 Email: c.burnett@asialink.unimelb.edu.au
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