不單僅祇是回溯威權時期國家機關、反對運動與主流報業的歷史，本文汲取各種相關文獻企圖開展關於「國家認同」問題的研究。國家認同議題的研究同時具有理論與實踐上的目的，它反映了近年台灣政治最重要的轉化情況，值得學界投入更多的努力去探索。

　　與其他文本及論述分析方法相較，框架分析更能揭露深植於媒介正文中的意義，並提供社會主體機制間（如國家、反對運動...）權力關係的深層描述。媒介框架分析同時也加速了傳播研究與其他理論傳統（如建構論取向...）正持續進行中的整合趨勢。

　　這項初探研究鎖定過去四年(1988-1991)有關台獨議題的各種媒介框架之消長浮沈情形。本文嘗試提供這樣的建議：每種框架均包藏了駁雜不一的「框架論點」，而且並非所有的框架都如過去研究文獻所稱是「預先定義好」的。再者，媒介場域存在的框架競爭本身亦起落不定，各種社會力各有擅場。因此，媒介框架的流變與複雜特性，使我們有必要透過接合媒介框架與更寬廣的社會情境，作為詮釋問題的基礎，進而再思國家認同議題本身存在的機會與陷阱。最後本文也提出了若干暫時的結論。

　　Rather than simply retracing the history of the state, opposition, and dominant press in the authoritarian decades, I want instead to draw on some relevant literature to open up an investigation about the question of national identity. For both theoretical and practical ends, we necessarily explore 'national identity'. This issue reflects the most important transformation in recent Taiwan politics, and absolutely deserves much more attention than now.

　　Compared with other discourse and textual analysis methods, framing analysis is more capable of unfolding the deep-rooted meanings in media texts and offering a 'thick-description' of power relations between different social agencies, such as the state, opposition, etc. Media framing approach also has accelerated the ongoing convergence of communication research and other theoretical traditions.

　　In this preliminary inquiry, I concentrate on the ebb and flow of media frames that is on the 'independence' issue during past four years (1988-1991). I propose here that a frame has its variants of 'framing arguments,' and not every frame is so 'pre-defined' as some earlier researches suggested. Furthermore, there are many ups and downs in the framing contest. Therefore, its flexible and complex characteristics force my interpretation based on articulating media frames with the larger social context, and reconsidering the possible opportunities and pitfalls of the 'national identity' question.

　　The main findings are: 1. As one of media frame sponsors, the state remains a dominator within media discourses on the 'independence' issue, albeit opposition movement becomes main source of the dominant press. 2. Third party and reporters usually affiliate with the state, rather than political opposition. 3. However, media discourses around this issue gradually paves the way from the 'illegitimate' to the 'impossible,'signaling a structural transformation in identity politics. Especially, It's significant that Localism frame overpowers the long-standing Great China one in frame disputes. We are certain that ethnicity or nationality in post-authoritarian Taiwan has been radically re-constituted.