Expatriate Entrepreneurs in Taiwan - Zealots of the Global Capitalism or Victims of the Flexible Lifestyle

Abstract

This article draws on findings and summarizes the larger body of material which constituted my doctoral research project. The exploration was designed as multi-case study of the independent western expatriates living and working in Taiwan. The main focus of my investigation was to understand ways in which certain type of foreign transnationals construct, negotiate and reflect on their lives under the conditions of global post-Fordist logic. The emphasis was put on the intersection between two planes: uncertainty produced by current capitalism, and concrete subjective narratives, coming from people who shape their lives in the context of foreign culture. In order to draft a map of existing possibilities and constraints, I have gathered individual testimonies from expatriates who are on their own, other words, who are somewhere between those supported by institutions and firms (diplomats, missionaries, military, corporate expatriates et cetera) and underprivileged migrant workers. I have applied post-Fordism in a broad sense as a useful metaphor which signifies peculiar system of complex physical and mental maneuvers and place-making processes. The chaotic conditions of the post-game: lack of clear rules, provisionary character of involvements, insecurity, severe competition and speed, produces pressures which encourage search for life alternatives in foreign cultures. On the basis of empirical data, I have formulated the description of main features, which make Taiwan a very attractive place for such search. In addition, I have recognized 5 types of independent expatriates, which can serve as gravitational centers of ideal types for further developments.