Description
This paper explores how the Kuomintang’s (KMT) legacy of securitisation and defence infrastructure in Taiwan during Martial Law (1949–1987) continues to influence national identity and ontological security. It emphasises Taiwan’s evolving international position and how this legacy shapes collective self-understanding. The research investigates civil society responses to the removal of military cinemas, the demolition of veteran villages, and the transformation of the port and waterfront of Taiwan’s southern metropolis, Kaohsiung, since the early 2000s. It considers how dismantling Cold War-era infrastructure affects public perceptions of the self and “the other” – particularly China. Drawing on insights from ontological security studies, the paper analyses how physical infrastructures once helped stabilise Taiwan’s identity under authoritarian rule, and how their removal in a liber-alising, democratic context generates both anxieties and opportunities for reimagining na-tional narratives. The study highlights the interaction of civil-military relations, spatial memory, and Taiwan’s changing foreign policy stance amid external threats and internal shifts. The research supports a documentary film project, Ghosts of the ROC, which visu-alises these contested spaces and personal stories, offering a reflective perspective on how infrastructure mediates Taiwan’s international self-positioning amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions.
