Island In The Stream: A Quick Case Study Of Taiwan's Complex History

by April C.J. Lin, Jerome F. Keating

Taiwan (Ihla Formosa) has long experienced the fate and of being an "island in the stream." Caught up and by numerous historical, cultural and physical crosscurrents running between the East and South China Seas, the people of this island have struggled with identity and survival. Outside forces have had their shaping influence. Strong also has been the influence of the island's many immigrants and indigenous peoples. Taiwan's history is a story of struggle and adaptation. In the new millennium the people have directly elected a new president in a democratic transference of power; but the island faces new challenges, that of membership in the United Nations and the World Trade Organization and the unresolved "one China question" with the People's Republic of China.

Genres: History

86 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Neil Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

solid primer on taiwanese history that does exactly what it promises.
things i liked / found interesting:
- this book cleared up a lot of confusions about the history of the island and removed a misconception that it has been squarely sinosphere since ming dynasty china. taiwan in actuality had multiple stakes made simultaneously by different nations all similarly imperial in aims.
- i think it did a great job of highlighting how passing of sovereignty and historical forces influenced taiwanese politics and history
- i liked how a lot of common questions and spots of uncertainty around taiwan are addressed and further questions are posed

things it lacked:
- a nuanced view of indigenous taiwan. where as every european nation mentioned and various political factions within qing dynasty china are mentioned, the indigenous population is largely referred to only as “aborigines.”

[Maria]

A very high level primer of Taiwan's history over the last 400 years. Didn't really contain much in terms of new insights for me, but poses some interesting questions and good suggestions for further reading.

[Rúben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and useful read in preparation for my second trip to Taiwan. It covers the last 400 years of Taiwan's history. Would have preferred more information about its recent past.

[Peter A · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the book title promises, this is a quick read, and is divided into four chapters, each less than 20 pages:
I. The Era of Global Navigation
II. The Qing Era
III. The Japanese Era
IV. The Republic of China
The book has a very nice chronology, and a collection of images about Taiwan’s history. The Preface lays out some issues that the book discusses, such as “What defines a nation?”, how is it that the 23 million people in Taiwan have no international political voice while the 11,000 on Tuvalu do, and how does Taiwan maintain sovereignty. Taiwan’s is a complex history, and one with some major missed opportunities. Following the titles lead as an “island in a stream”, the stream is about the external events that impact the island and of the people who come to the island and stay. As the authors state, “the work can be read not only as a brief history of this controversial island, but also as a case study that presents the deeper complex questions and issues involved in nationhood and sovereignty.

If you are traveling to Taiwan, this is a very nice book to read on the plane. While the book’s narrative stops in 2008, it sets the stage for many of the issues that confront the people of Taiwan.

Note, as with any short book, some issues will be left out, or mentioned in passing. But I was surprised how the authors seemed to cover most of the key points articulated in other books that I have read about Taiwan.

As for where I found the book, there is a very nice, but small, museum close to the National Palace Museum in Taiwan. The Shang Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines (http://www.museum.org.tw/symm_en/inde...) has a nice collection of history, costume, video about the aboriginal people of Taiwan, as well as a very nice collection of books about Taiwan.

[Mirko Liang · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very VERY brief summary of the history of Taiwan, useful as a small manual or for those who are interested in said subject. I couldn't agree with some of the choices but I particularly liked the section at the end of every chapter dedicated to the questions. Overall okay as I didn't feel it was completely non-partisan.

[M DeJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick cut and dry history of Taiwan. Written in an academic style, but not dense. Would have preferred some deeper analysis though. Regardless, good at conveying the history of the island in a brief, easy to read format.

[Tc · Rating 2 out of 5]

short