Taiwan Under Japanese Colonial Rule, 1895-1945: History, Culture, Memory

Studies of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University

by Ping-Hui Liao (Editor), David Der-wei Wang (Editor)

The first study of colonial Taiwan in English, this volume brings together seventeen essays by leading scholars to construct a comprehensive cultural history of Taiwan under Japanese rule. Contributors from the United States, Japan, and Taiwan explore a number of topics through a variety of theoretical, comparative, and postcolonial perspectives, painting a complex and nuanced portrait of a pivotal time in the formation of Taiwanese national identity.

Essays are grouped into four categories: rethinking colonialism and modernity; colonial policy and cultural change; visual culture and literary expressions; and from colonial rule to postcolonial independence. Their unique analysis considers all elements of the Taiwanese colonial experience, concentrating on land surveys and the census; transcolonial coordination; the education and recruitment of the cultural elite; the evolution of print culture and national literature; the effects of subjugation, coercion, discrimination, and governmentality; and the root causes of the ethnic violence that dominated the postcolonial era.

The contributors encourage readers to rethink issues concerning history and ethnicity, cultural hegemony and resistance, tradition and modernity, and the romancing of racial identity. Their examination not only provides a singular understanding of Taiwan's colonial past, but also offers insight into Taiwan's relationship with China, Japan, and the United States today. Focusing on a crucial period in which the culture and language of Taiwan, China, and Japan became inextricably linked, Taiwan Under Japanese Colonial Rule effectively broadens the critique of colonialism and modernity in East Asia.

Genres: History, Japan, China

432 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2006

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of specialist articles examining colonial-era Taiwan from a wide variety of perspectives. You can select which chapters are the most interesting to you, and not worry too much about the rest. It's probably not a great general introduction, but helpful for after reading a survey history and then you want to learn a bit more in depth about Japanese colonialism in Taiwan. Chapters examine art history, literature, economics, governance, law, war, and more.

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is one of those poorly edited volumes that contain essays of uneven quality, many lacking substantive information on Japanese rule in Taiwan. This is unfortunate, as it is one of the few English-language works on colonial Taiwan. The volume does make a commendable effort to suggest new directions by bringing together a cross-section of leading scholars in Taiwan, Japan and the US. But it is not worth spending $45 on the book.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5:
Especially interesting were chapter 2 on "The Formation of Taiwanese Identity and the Cultural Policy for Various Outside Regimes", chapter 7 on "Colonial Modernity for an Elite Taiwanese, Lim Boeng: The Labyrinth of Cosmopolitanism", Chapter 8 on "Hegemony and Identity in the Colonial Experience" is great, and chapter 15: "Were Taiwanese Being 'Enslaved'?"

[Patrick Cowsill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really expensive book. You can get it for US$50 from Amazon, plus shipping. I am re-reading it, and re-considering it. I am enjoying Liao Ping-hui's essay "Taiwan Under Japanese Colonial Rule, 1895-1945: History, Culture, Memory" so much that I just contacted him for sources, clarification, etc.