What is Taiwan—and how did it become the place it is today? At a recent AKWorld program, Professor Emerita Diddy Hitchins took members on a sweeping journey through Taiwan’s history, exploring the island’s Indigenous roots, centuries of outside influence, Chinese and Japanese rule, and its remarkable transformation into a modern democracy.  Dr. Hitchins began developing this talk as part of a course she and the late Paul Dunscomb were planning to co-teach at UAA this fall.  AKWorld was honored to host this presentation in his memory.  

Dr. Hitchins began by placing Taiwan’s history in geographic and cultural context. The island, roughly the size of Maryland or Belgium, developed with its own Indigenous cultures and distinct history, while its proximity to China brought centuries of migration, trade, and interaction. European powers also became part of Taiwan’s story, including the Portuguese, Dutch, and later other foreign traders and missionaries, although no outside influence, whether Asian or European, controlled the entirety of the island until the Japanese in 1895.

The island’s modern history was shaped particularly by Japanese rule beginning in 1895. Japan established the first administration to exert control over the entire island and invested heavily in education, agriculture, health, sanitation, and infrastructure. Taiwan also became strategically important to Japan during World War II.

The end of the war brought another dramatic transition. Taiwan came under the control of the Republic of China, and after the Chinese Civil War, Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist government relocated to Taiwan in 1949. What followed was decades of authoritarian rule and martial law, including the repression remembered as the White Terror.

Dr. Hitchins highlighted how this difficult history ultimately contributed to the development of a distinct Taiwanese political identity. Martial law ended in 1987, Taiwan transitioned toward democracy, and in 1996 held its first direct presidential election. Today, Taiwan has regular competitive elections and peaceful transfers of political power between its major political parties.

At the heart of the presentation was the question of Taiwan’s political status. She challenged the audience to consider how history, sovereignty, identity, and international recognition intersect. Taiwan functions as a self-governing political entity, with a defined territory, permanent population, effective government, and the capacity to conduct extensive international economic and cultural relations. At the same time, the People’s Republic of China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, making Taiwan’s international diplomatic status complex.  

Dr. Hitchins emphasized that understanding Taiwan today requires understanding the many layers of history that preceded it—from Indigenous peoples and European traders to Chinese migration, Japanese colonial rule, the Chinese Civil War, decades of authoritarian government, and Taiwan’s eventual democratization.  This history has created a Taiwan that is unique from mainland China, but at least for the current generation, better with the status quo than the alternative.