Exceptional States examines new configurations of marriage, immigration, and citizenship emerging in an increasingly mobile Asia where Cold War legacies continue to shape contemporary political struggles over sovereignty. Focused on marital immigration from China to Taiwan, the book documents the struggles of Chinese women and men as they seek acceptance and recognition in their new home. By tracing parallels between the predicaments of Chinese immigrants and the uncertain future of the Taiwan nation-state, the book shows how intimate attachments and emotional investments infuse the practices of Taiwanese bureaucrats as they regulate immigration and make claims to national sovereignty.
Exceptional States calls attention to a group of immigrants whose exceptional status has become necessary to Taiwan's national integrity, using rich ethnography to reveal the social, political, and personal consequences of living on the margins of citizenship and sovereignty.
The College of Arts