Between Empires: Modern History of Taiwan

Since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the prospect of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan has drawn renewed concern and debate around the world. To fully understand the contemporary Taiwanese issues, however, requires one to dig deeper and see Taiwan as a space where multiple great powers - China, Japan, and the United States - have historically intersected. This course explores the centuries-long history of Taiwan under different empires: the Qing empire (1683-1895), the Japanese empire (1895-1945), the Republic of China (1945-present), and the U.S. military empire (1945-present). Entering the postwar era, we will also cover the White Terror period (1947-1987), the democratization in the 1980s and 90s, and the issue of historical memory. Examining how different histories are remembered and forgotten, we will address the ways colonial legacies are intertwined with nation-making and postwar politics. Throughout the course, we will pay attention to how Taiwan's ethnic diversity has complicated the writing of national history and the formation of national identity. And we will ask: from whose perspective is Taiwanese history written? This course will analyze governmental reports, colonial travelogues, and propaganda videos, as well as fiction, music, and video games.