The Sunflower Occupy Movement, lasting for 24 days during March-April 2014, sent shock waves to the world and gave birth to a new type of contentious politics in Taiwan and beyond. The movement embodies a repertoire combining occupy, civil disobedience and resistance. The students, social movement activists and engaged citizens occupied the Parliament to voice their anger against the Kuomintang (Nationalist) Government and Beijing Regime, demanding a revocation of a trade pact (Serves Trade Agreement) signed by both sides. This lecture will explore the questions: Why did the movement happen and how did it end? What was the framing of the movement? What impact has the “China factor” brought to Taiwan and how has the society resisted it? And what are the consequences of the historic resistance movement? The explanatory mechanism adopts concepts in political economy, social movement and identity politics.

Speaker

• Wu Jieh-min 吳介民 (Academia Sinica, Institut de sociologie)