From island frontier to imperial colony: Qing and Japanese sovereignty debates and territorial projects in Taiwan, 1874--1906 (China)

The dissertation explores Taiwan's transition from a Qing frontier to a Japanese colony in late nineteenth century. The study consists of four related case studies on major late Qing and early Japanese policy debates on Taiwan between 1874 and 1906, namely, the Sino-Japanese controversy on aboriginal Taiwan in 1874, the Qing policy debate on the building of Taiwan province in the 1880s, the Sino-Japanese negotiation of Taiwan cession in 1895, and Meiji policy debates on the governance of Taiwan colony in late 1890s. The discussion focuses on multiple and competing visions of Qing and Japanese officials on Taiwan's status and territorial rule. The study shows important continuities and contingencies in Taiwan's territorial transition between Qing and Japanese empires. The study of Qing and Japanese frontier state building in nineteenth-century Taiwan provides a case of comparative colonialism, nationalism, and colonial modernity in modern East Asia.; The dissertation consists of six chapters: Chapter 1 reviews the historiographies of Chinese frontier history and Japanese colonial studies and introduces the subject of Taiwan's transition and the issues of sovereignty and territory in nineteenth century East Asia. Chapter 2 retells the 1874 Sino-Japanese controversy over aboriginal Taiwan as an historical event that introduced modern notion of territorial sovereignty to Taiwan. Chapter 3 examines late-Qing debates on Taiwan province between 1875 and 1885 and competing visions of territorial rule and attempts to consolidate Chinese sovereignty of the island. Chapter 4 interprets the episode of the 1895 Taiwan republic as local resistance to the cession crisis that affected the nature of Japanese takeover from peaceful transition to military conquest. Chapter 5 discusses Japanese debates on Taiwan's status within the Meiji empire from 1895–1905 that was characterized by constitutional and political controversy over colonial legislation and administration. Chapter 6 summarizes the major arguments on nineteenth-century frontier state building and Taiwan's territorial transition and reflects on the theoretical implications of colonial modernity and future prospects of this study.