Postwar Taiwanese Political History: The Process of Taiwanization in the Republic of China (National Taiwan University Press 20th Anniversary Collection, Volume 8)

The “Republic of China” and the Politics of Taiwanization: The Changing Identity of Taiwan in Postwar East Asia

Wakabayashi Masao, the first Japanese researcher on Taiwan politics,
A representative work of his academic career in the field of research on postwar political change in Taiwan.

Professor Masao Wakabayashi is Japan's foremost scholar of modern and contemporary Taiwanese history and postwar Taiwanese political history over the past three or four decades. This book represents the quintessential work of his scholarly research on postwar Taiwanese political change. Using "The Taiwanization of the Republic of China" as a thread, the book comprehensively surveys the development of postwar Taiwanese political history, divided into two parts: "The Beginning of Taiwanization in the Republic of China (1945-1987)" and "The Development of Taiwanization in the Republic of China (1987-2008)."

This book integrates the current research findings on postwar Taiwanese history from Chinese, Japanese, and English academic circles, spanning political science, history, linguistics, sociology, regional studies, and identity politics. It offers a distinctively interdisciplinary history of postwar Taiwanese politics. Building on the research of pioneers, this book further proposes a unique analytical framework to examine and explain the trajectory of postwar Taiwanese politics. This book is a work by a historian who soars high, dives deeply, and offers a comprehensive and insightful perspective.

Celebrity recommendations

★ Special article introductions by Xiao Aqin, researcher at the Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, and Xue Huayuan, professor at the Institute of Taiwan History, National Chengchi University

In this book, Professor Masao Wakabayashi analyzes the structure of Taiwan's postwar political system, focusing on political institutions and chronologically, while also tracing back to Taiwan's political history over the past sixty years. This is a masterpiece that successfully combines the research methods of social science (political science) and history. — Wu Mi-cha (Adjunct Professor, Department of History, National Taiwan University)

The author is well-versed in Taiwan's academic achievements and real-world dynamics. He employs such themes as "multi-ethnic society," "settler state," "the 1972 system," and "nationalist party system" in this book, drawing extensively on the latest research findings. This book possesses both depth and breadth, providing readers with a truly satisfying "bird's-eye view." — Hsueh Hua-yuan (Professor, Institute of Taiwan History, National Chengchi University)

Looking back over the past three or four decades at Japanese research on Taiwan's modern and contemporary history and postwar political change, if one were to name the most important scholars, the first person that would come to mind for many Taiwanese academics would undoubtedly be Professor Masatake Wakabayashi. And if one were to single out Professor Wakabayashi's career-defining work on postwar political change in Taiwan, this book would undoubtedly be it. — Xiao Aqin (Researcher, Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica)

Author Masatsugu Wakabayashi is a leading Japanese scholar of Taiwanese politics. This book, using the concept of "Taiwanization of the Republic of China," examines the development of Taiwanese politics from the post-World War II era to the present day. It represents the culmination of the author's thirty years of research on Taiwanese politics. — Yoshiyuki Ogasawara (Associate Professor, Graduate School of International Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan)

The author uses the concept of "multi-ethnic society" to meticulously document the process of self-identification and awareness in the process of "Taiwanization." — Hiroshi Nakanishi (Professor, Graduate School of Law, Kyoto University)

This book takes "Taiwanization of the Republic of China" as its theme, successfully connecting the content of the book clearly and completely. --Ijiri Hideki (Professor, Graduate School of International Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan)

The author reconstructs and analyzes the complexities of modern Taiwanese politics, using a specialized vocabulary that offers unique insights, giving this book its incomparable charm. — Fumio Kaneko (Professor, Faculty of International Sciences, Yokohama City University)

This book is a must-read for scholars interested in studying Taiwanese politics, and is also an extremely important reference for those engaged in comparative East Asian politics and international relations research. — Yasuhiro Matsuda (Professor, Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, Japan)

2016-05-01

國立臺灣大學出版中心

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