Contested Memories of the Past: The Politics of History Textbooks in Taiwan

A Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945, and then a retreat for the defeated Chinese Nationalist government from 1949, Taiwan has long been struggling to find its identity. Remnants of this identity crisis can be seen in the political realm, with its extreme polarization on various social, political, and historical issues.This article explores the ongoing controversy overhistory textbooks in Taiwan, situating it in evolving domestic and international contexts, suggesting that Taiwanese society's representation of its colonial and Cold War past is highly contested and has been influenced by democratization. This article also attempts to provide an overview of the course of the textbook controversy in Taiwan from a historical perspective and to show reactions from educators, students, and the general public. Through an analysis of the different ways that Taiwan's history has been interpreted and represented in its history textbooks, this article shows how these factors help construct Taiwan's contested identity.