Contemporary Taiwan and its Histories

In recent years, Taiwan has become increasingly important in discussions of contemporary Asia. However, assessments of its current circumstances rarely take into account roots that lie deep in the past. In this course we will take six topics that loom large in Taiwan now and examine their histories, development and ongoing relevance. These will be: Is Taiwan under threat?", "Who are the Taiwanese?", "Taiwan and Japan: The Legacies of Colonialism", ""Violence, Dictatorship, and Democracy", "Taiwan's Indigenous Peoples", and "Taiwan's Social and Economic Challenges". In our examination of these topics, we will also discuss the justifications for the positions taken by groups within Taiwan and those taken by other countries. This course will make use of feature films, documentaries, music videos, and other cultural products to supplement lectures and extended discussion of primary historical sources in seminars.