Ching-Fang Hsu. “The Political Origins of Professional Identity: Lawyers, Judges, and Prosecutors in Taiwan’s State Transformation.” Asian Journal of Law and Society, vol. 6, no. 2 (2019): 321-346.
This article explores how the legal profession’s identity is shaped during moments of profound state transformation, arguing that resistance to authoritarian power during political upheaval forms the foundation of legal professionals’ collective self-understanding. Through 133 interviews with judges, lawyers, and prosecutors in Taiwan, along with fieldwork and archival research, the study shows how varying experiences of authoritarian control during democratization led to divergent professional identities: judges emphasizing judicial independence, lawyers championing civil rights, and prosecutors aligning with justice as a tool to curb state abuse. The article highlights how political positioning during regime change drives intra-professional variation and long-term normative commitments within the legal field.