Post-war Taiwan and Japanese Literature: With a Focus on Researches in University

Abstract

In post-Second World War Taiwan, the symbolism and significance of “Japan” as a signifier remains steeped in meaning, due largely to Japan’s antebellum colonialization of Taiwan for approximately half a century. As such, the purpose of the present essay was to initiate a process of organizing and analyzing the historical processes of Japanese literature (which includes the literature of Japan and literature written in Japanese) within the contexts of Taiwanese society. Japanese culture and literature have become largely accepted in Taiwan, and thus this essay places particular emphasis on the establishment and research foci of Japanese literature in higher education institutions in Taiwan. Through descriptions and explorations of the historical founding of these institutions, the present essay argues that political factors not only played significant roles in the founding decisions of various institutions, but also influential in the research foci and ongoing research practices of Japanese literature.

Keywords

• Japanese literature
• Literature written in Japanese
• Japanese Colonization Period of Taiwan
• Post-war
• Departments of Japanese Language and Literature