Aborigines in Taiwanese Contemporary Film: A Mirror or a Hammer?

This paper looks into Taiwanese contemporary film on Aborigines directed by non-Aborigines. The main point here is to demonstrate how minority groups are used as the «Other» to explore the majority group’s anxiety and expectations, which results in misrepresentions and underrepresentations. Indeed, film is a medium to construct not only people’s mental image of the Aborigines, but also to reflect upon on the collective state of mind in Taiwanese modern society. First of all, this paper will give some essential details about modern Taiwanese society’s classifications into four ethnic groups. Then, it will briefly introduce the three films selected for this short presentation, as well as an overview of the political and economic context of the film industry in which they were produced and released. Third, the essay will go on to highlight some interesting points, and discuss in more depth the implications of such representations of Aborigines.