Sulla Via del Catai

This essay will focus on the processes of industrialization and democratization in Taiwan. Labour and workers are placed at the center of the analysis in order to offer a different perspective from that prevailing in developmental studies. At the same time, it will highlight the decisive role played by the relationship between Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese in defining and framing the characteristics of industrialization, democratization and workers’ mobilizations in Taiwan. The research has, in fact, highlighted that the traditional capital-labour conflict was weakened and partially replaced by the expansion of identity conflicts.