Appel à contributions Special Issue of Monde chinois (the 57th) Taiwan from the 1930s to the 1950s – Building Taiwanese Society

Special Issue of Monde chinois (the 57th)

Taiwan from the 1930s to the 1950s – Building Taiwanese Society

In the course of its history, Taiwan’s destiny has often been linked to the policies carried out by the leading global powers – Asian or Western – that were eager to protect their interests in the region. This was particularly the case between the late 1930s and the early 1950s, when, within the space of only a few years, Japan, China and the USA all, in varying degrees, made their influence felt on Taiwan. As a Japanese colony, Formosa was first forcibly involved in the war against China (1937) and, subsequently, against the United States (1941). In 1945, as a former Chinese province, the island was handed over by the Allies to the Republic of China, and its relations with Japan were temporarily interrupted. Later still, whereas the conflict between the Chinese Communists and the Nationalists isolated Taiwan from the Mainland (1949), the Korean War drove it to the American side as well as its former colonizer, Japan (from 1950 onwards).

The purpose of this special issue of Monde chinois (the 57th) is to shed new light on some changes that occurred in Taiwan during these years of transition (1930s-1950s) during which the Island of Formosa gave up its status as a Japanese colony –and even in some ways as a Chinese province– to follow its own path within the constraints imposed by the interaction of political and economic forces at the time. Through an interdisciplinary approach including economic, social and political aspects, as well as art and literature, we will examine how and in which context the Taiwanese society took shape at a time when the Formosans, who had been subject to the influence of the Japanese for half a century, were being torn between the Nationalist government’s efforts to (re)impose Chinese culture in Taiwan and the temptation driven by pragmatism to move closer to Japan again.

Particularly welcomed will be propositions of articles either in English or in French dedicated to the following issues (among many others possible)

  • The legacy of the Japanese colonization at different levels (administrative, technological, educational, etc.)
  • The impact of the war between Japan and China or the United States for Formosa (demographic, economic, cultural, etc.)
  • The influence of the international meeting and “agreements” of this period on Taiwan today ambiguous status.
  • The juridical & geographical conundrums of R.O.C. 1947 Constitution

A summary of 3000 signs (maximum, in French or in English) will be sent to the two editors of this special issue of Monde Chinois Nouvelle Asie: Jean-Yves Heurtebise (jy.heurtebise@gmail.com) and Philippe Chevalérias (philippe.chevalerias@univ-lille3.fr) before the 15th June 2018. After acceptation, the complete articles (maximum 35000 signs – spaces and notes included – no bibliography) will be sent before the 15th November 2018. The revised articles after two independent peer-reviews will be sent before the 15th January 2018

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