This thesis explores India's image among English speaking Taiwanese university students. Its purpose is to know the range of images Taiwanese have about India. The sources of these images are also explored. This research seeks to unravel the influence of movies, textbooks, personal interactions, and mediated (cultural) interactions in shaping India’s image.
For the above, the theoretical and conceptual framework is largely drawn from works related to imagination and representation, particularly scholarship related to concepts of media representation, Bollywood and cultural interaction. This thesis follows the argument that media representation is taking new forms and meanings influenced by globalization, Bollywood movies, and mediated cultural interactions. Besides movies, school textbooks were found to have a major influence, especially during a formative, young age. Movies and textbooks together have been a major influence in facilitating the shape of India’s image among Taiwanese.
In this thesis, I hope to illustrate the range of images of India and the key sources that influence perceptions about India. The methodology taken for this study was participant observation and focus group discussions (FGD). For this study, three focus groups were conducted with English speaking Taiwanese university students. In the first FGD, a Bollywood movie was shown to participants, so as to initiate a common point for discussion to take off. The subsequent two FGDs were held with those who have been to India and with those who have never been to India respectively.

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