探勘小確幸世代：當代台灣年輕人的認同地景和每日生活
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2014/08-2015/07
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本研究計畫「探勘小確幸世代 – 當代台灣年輕人的認同地景和每日生活」 為兩年期計畫。計畫申請人在近三年已執行(之「台灣政治消費文化」、「可愛文 化在台灣」等國科會專題計畫及「台灣流行文化」教育部計畫等相關研究)的初 步研究成果上，逐步發展了對於當代台灣年輕人世代研究的關注視角和研究基 礎。申請人期待延伸現有歐美、日本和台灣的世代研究文獻，援引認同及消費研 究觀點，並運用質性研究之多重研究方法，探究台灣當代社會「小確幸世代」所 具有的「新時代」及「新一代年輕人」之象徵性和物質性雙重意涵，並探勘其認 同地景及每日生活實踐樣貌。同時，本研究也期待透過對於「小確幸世代」文化 生成過程的描繪，發掘存在於其認同地景和每日生活中，她/他們所獨有的視野、 思維、特質和行動能力，及其中可能鬆動既有權力結構的力量。據此，本研究將 進一步從「小確幸世代」文化中追尋讓台灣社會及新世代擺脫當前困境的可能。 「小確幸世代」是由 1985 年及解嚴前後出生、在台灣物資充裕、媒體無所 不在、政治極度民主、消費社會無限擴張的脈絡中成長，沒有歷史烙印的傷痕卻 也沒有為未來爭奪的氣力，追求去政治化的、「雖然在大事上委屈卻自在於在小 處做自己」的台灣年輕人所組成的世代。她/他們在歷史條件上共同遭遇了後解 嚴時代、九二一大地震、台灣第一次政黨輪替等事件，在經濟條件上共同經歷了 經濟高度成長後物質生活豐沛富裕的消費社會，在政治條件上共同目睹了台灣民 主化高度發展後以政治消費型態運作的兩黨政治，而在文化條件上共同感受了台 灣社會在全球化浪潮下開始關注本土文化、及在大敘事消解之後關注小敘事的集 體氛圍。她/他們同時也是一個正在面對台灣社會空前資本分配極度不均、薪資 凍結、房價飛漲、貧富懸殊、國家破產等問題所導致的大量失業、人口衰退、結 婚率低落、出生率世界最低等問題的世代。 本研究計劃將進行對於當代台灣「小確幸世代」的描繪和探討，從社會學研 究中較少被關注的世代議題切入，提供一個梳理這個「新時代」中「新一代年輕 人」的視角，並試圖從其中尋找一個可能挑戰既有權力結構，由這個世代的能動 力出發、鬆動台灣社會既有困境的可能路徑。因此，幾個問題將在研究過程中被 反省：1) 「小確幸世代」的「新時代」及「新一代年輕人」意涵如何在台灣社 會被論述、消費、想像與實踐？2) 在「小確幸世代」的文化建造工程中，其認 同地景及每日生活樣貌如何透過意念與實踐的辯證關係被建構？ 3)「小確幸世 代」文化做為一個奠基在「可愛文化」和「政治消費」等基底的柔軟力量，如何 成為一個挑戰既有秩序的脫困的可能？
The two-year research project ‘Exploring Taiwan’s Generation TAG – Identity Landscape and Everyday Life of Young People in Contemporary Taiwan’ explores the meanings of both ‘new era’ and ‘new generation of young people’ within the context of Generation TAG in contemporary Taiwan. Also, the project investigates the formation of Generation TAG’s identity and the performance of their everyday practices in order to further discuss their dialectical relationship with subjectivity, social structure and consumption. TAG is the abbreviation of ‘Trifle Assured Gladness’, which is the English translation of the term小確幸 [Hsiao Chueh Hsin]. TAG/Trifle Assured Gladness/小 確幸 first appeared in Japanese writer Haruki Murakami’s (村上春樹) works, but later was adapted by contemporary Taiwan society. TAG generation refers to those Taiwanese youth born approximately around 1985 and after the lifting of martial law in 1987. Historically, these people share the experiences of major events in Taiwan, namely the lifting of martial law, the 921 earthquake in 1999 and the first party rotation in 2000. Politically, they have grown up within Taiwan political consumerism and already regard democracy as something naturally existent. Economically, they have enjoyed affluence based on the rapid formation of consumer society. Culturally, they have experienced Taiwan society’s turning away from grand national narratives toward small local narratives and its obsession with kawaii culture. For Generation TAG, ‘to pursue the Trifle Assured Gladness’ is also the meaning of ‘although unjustly treated in big matters, one is still able to be oneself within one’s tiny, joyful space’. The project is on the basis of my previous and current National Science Council research on political consumerism and kawaii culture in Taiwan, and also Ministry of Education projects on Taiwan’s popular culture and the youth. The research I have spent my past several years conducting has certain overlapping core issues – identity, consumption, democratization, everyday life and the young generation. In this project, by exploring Generation TAG’s identity landscape and everyday life, I aim to go further. I expect to realize the possibility of freeing oneself from Taiwan’s current distress and morass, which, I argue, exists already within Generation TAG’s cultural making process of the culture itself. This research is based on the following positions: (1) rethinking current literature on generation, consumption practices and identity formation; (2) exploring the intimate and dialectical relationship between idea and practice within Generation TAG’s cultural making process and (3) focusing on the dialogue between individual activities and social structure.
The two-year research project ‘Exploring Taiwan’s Generation TAG – Identity Landscape and Everyday Life of Young People in Contemporary Taiwan’ explores the meanings of both ‘new era’ and ‘new generation of young people’ within the context of Generation TAG in contemporary Taiwan. Also, the project investigates the formation of Generation TAG’s identity and the performance of their everyday practices in order to further discuss their dialectical relationship with subjectivity, social structure and consumption. TAG is the abbreviation of ‘Trifle Assured Gladness’, which is the English translation of the term小確幸 [Hsiao Chueh Hsin]. TAG/Trifle Assured Gladness/小 確幸 first appeared in Japanese writer Haruki Murakami’s (村上春樹) works, but later was adapted by contemporary Taiwan society. TAG generation refers to those Taiwanese youth born approximately around 1985 and after the lifting of martial law in 1987. Historically, these people share the experiences of major events in Taiwan, namely the lifting of martial law, the 921 earthquake in 1999 and the first party rotation in 2000. Politically, they have grown up within Taiwan political consumerism and already regard democracy as something naturally existent. Economically, they have enjoyed affluence based on the rapid formation of consumer society. Culturally, they have experienced Taiwan society’s turning away from grand national narratives toward small local narratives and its obsession with kawaii culture. For Generation TAG, ‘to pursue the Trifle Assured Gladness’ is also the meaning of ‘although unjustly treated in big matters, one is still able to be oneself within one’s tiny, joyful space’. The project is on the basis of my previous and current National Science Council research on political consumerism and kawaii culture in Taiwan, and also Ministry of Education projects on Taiwan’s popular culture and the youth. The research I have spent my past several years conducting has certain overlapping core issues – identity, consumption, democratization, everyday life and the young generation. In this project, by exploring Generation TAG’s identity landscape and everyday life, I aim to go further. I expect to realize the possibility of freeing oneself from Taiwan’s current distress and morass, which, I argue, exists already within Generation TAG’s cultural making process of the culture itself. This research is based on the following positions: (1) rethinking current literature on generation, consumption practices and identity formation; (2) exploring the intimate and dialectical relationship between idea and practice within Generation TAG’s cultural making process and (3) focusing on the dialogue between individual activities and social structure.