Overview
- Examines the history of a military expedition the Japanese government sent to southern Taiwan in 1874
- Explores the Japanese government's colonial intent, and its justification that a state must spread civilization and political authority to territories where it claimed sovereignty, thereby challenging Chinese authority in East Asia and consolidating its power domestically.
- Considers the origins of Japanese imperialism as emerging as part of the process of consolidating government power after the Meiji Restoration in a dynamic relationship with Western imperialism
Part of the book series: New Directions in East Asian History (NDEAH)
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Table of contents (11 chapters)
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The Regional Context of the Taiwan Expedition
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On the Ground in Taiwan
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Defending the Expedition
Keywords
About this book
Reviews
“Efforts to understand the peculiarities of Japanese imperialism remain important to scholars of Japan and comparative history alike, and Eskildsen makes a significant contribution in that respect … . His study opens a revealing window onto early Meiji political and cultural history in its regional environment as well as onto the multilayered workings of international relations in East Asia.” (Yoshihisa Tak Matsusaka, Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 75 (1), 2020)
“Long in preparation, Transforming Empire was well worth the wait. Painstakingly researched and powerfully argued, it is essential reading for anyone interested in the origins of the modern Japanese empire. Eskildsen’s notion of “recursive imperialism” and his bold re-interpretation of the relationship between the Meiji Restoration and the aggressive expansionism it gave rise to will have a profound impact on how we understand this critical turning point in the history of modern East Asia.” (Daniel V. Botsman, Professor of History, Yale University, USA)“In this timely and well-researched book, Robert Eskildsen examines an important “trial run” by the Meiji Japanese state for its claim to be a modern empire, the 1874 Taiwan Expedition. Going well beyond the standard view of the Expedition, Eskildsen expertly uncovers its many layers of meaning, not only as a diplomatic flexing of muscles for the newly established modern state, but also as an epicenter for generating civilizational and racial discourses that rationalized and guided Japan’s subsequent colonial empire. It addresses a critical gap in our understanding of the history of Japanese empire. Highly recommended to any student of modern Japanese history.” (Kyu Hyun Kim, Professor, University of California, Davis, USA)
“A fascinating study of Meiji Japan’s response to the 1871 murder of Ryūkyū mariners by indigenes in Taiwan and its subsequent military expedition to the island with objectives that included colonization. Meticulously researched and cogently argued, it pays close attention to domestic politics in Japan, international diplomacy in East Asia as well as local conditions in Taiwan. The book challenges conventional wisdom about the Taiwan Expedition and will likely become the standard work on the subject.”
“By situating Japanese imperialism in its dynamic and interactive relationship with Western imperialism, the author demonstrates that this ‘recursive imperialism,’ through a kind of feedback loop, also destabilized Chinese diplomatic practice and influenced Western imperialism. The book makes a major contribution to the study of modern Japan and sheds new light on the contested issues of colonialism, war, and territorial sovereignty in East Asia.” (Daqing Yang, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs, George Washington University, USA, and author of Technology of Empire: Telecommunications and Japan’s Expansion in Asia, 1883-1945)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Transforming Empire in Japan and East Asia
Book Subtitle: The Taiwan Expedition and the Birth of Japanese Imperialism
Authors: Robert Eskildsen
Series Title: New Directions in East Asian History
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3480-1
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Singapore
eBook Packages: History, History (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019
Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-13-3479-5Published: 16 January 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-981-13-3480-1Published: 02 January 2019
Series ISSN: 2522-0195
Series E-ISSN: 2522-0209
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIX, 383
Number of Illustrations: 21 b/w illustrations
Topics: History of Japan, World History, Global and Transnational History, Imperialism and Colonialism