CrossTaiwan Straits Relations

AY2017/2018 Semester 1

Since the late 17th century, Taiwan has experienced the transformation from being an island frontier of the Qing Dynasty, a Japanese colony, a Chinese territory, and to a country with a full-fledged democracy today. Notably, Taiwan has been closely intertwined with China, though sometimes at odds. This lecture/discussion course will focus on the modern history of Taiwan and explore, in particular, the intertwined and potentially bellicose relationship between Taiwan and China from a historical perspective. It considers the changing relationship between these two societies as the dialectic of their transformation into nations. From an island frontier to an independent state 'in want of a nation' and international recognition, the transformation of Taiwan has been shaping and shaped by China's transformation from a dynastic empire to a nationalistic state in pursuit of territorial unification. This course will examine key events and forces (political, social, economic, and cultural) that had shaped and/or are still shaping the Taiwan-China relations.