Divergent Memories of the “Refugee Student”: Trauma, Politics, and Identity in the Memoirs of Chi Pang-yuan and Wang Dingjun

Abstract

This thesis investigates the memory reconstruction of “refugee student” (liuwang xuesheng 流亡學生) in the memoirs of first-generation waishengren (mainlanders) intellectuals in Taiwan, taking Chi Pang-yuan and Wang Dingjun as case studies. Despite sharing similar socio-historical backgrounds as educated elites displaced by the same wars, these authors developed strikingly divergent political orientations and historical narratives. This study argues that such ideological divergence is rooted not necessarily in political conviction, but in distinct modes of trauma processing. Drawing on Dominick LaCapra’s distinction between “acting out” and “working through,” this thesis demonstrates that Chi constructs the image of a “Disciplined Student” to “act out” the trauma of exile. By sacralizing the Party-State and emphasizing order, idealized heroism, and patriotic ideology, her narrative functions as a protective shield against the chaos of history. In contrast, Wang presents the image of a “Dissenting Student” to “work through” the past. His narrative employs satire, critical distance, and self-critique to demythologize the wartime experience, exposing the chaotic reality of the state apparatus. Ultimately, this thesis reveals that the internal divergence within the “refugee student” community cannot be reduced to simple factionalism, but reflects a spectrum of responses to collective trauma, offering a nuanced portrait of the wartime generation.