Political Representation, Policy Actors, and Indigenous Language Policy in Taiwan

Taiwan’s Indigenous Language Development Act (2017) was developed by a variety of actors and circumstantial dynamics over more than a decade. But what actors have been involved in both the development and implementation of the Act? This article bridges discussions on Indigenous language policies and policy actors by expanding the traditional notions of democratic representation. It investigates who contributes to the policies that represent the interests of Indigenous groups in Taiwan. Building on existing empirical studies in Taiwan, this article presents initial observations from recent fieldwork in Taiwan and provides preliminary insights and recommendations for future research on political representation and Indigenous language policies in Taiwan and beyond. While a variety of institutional and non-institutional actors are discussed, the article finds that the Council of Indigenous Peoples is the critical actor in Taiwan, playing both a policymaking role and representative role within the realm of Indigenous language policy.