Join Dr. Jerome Keating, an expert on Taiwan with over 30 years of experience, as he delves into Taiwan's rich history and its journey toward democracy. He discusses his latest book, shedding light on Taiwan's changing identity and challenges in international recognition. Hear insights on Taiwan's constitutional dilemmas, its precarious relationship with China, and the role of literature in shaping national identity. Dr. Keating's perspectives reveal the complexities of Taiwan's past and present, offering a compelling narrative on its geopolitical struggles.
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Taiwan's Semi-Martial Law Era
Taiwan shortly after martial law was lifted still had a semi-martial law atmosphere with visible military patrols.
This reflected the lingering authoritarian control despite political reforms starting in 1987.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Origins of 'Island in the Stream'
Jerome Keating wrote his first book, Island in the Stream, to counter common misunderstandings about Taiwan's identity.
He co-wrote it with historian April Lin, combining western and Japanese sources.
insights INSIGHT
Unity Under Japanese Rule
Taiwan's different ethnic groups historically conflicted but united under Japanese rule seeing a common enemy.
Japan was the first to control the entire island, forcing unity among groups previously divided.
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May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and since 1999, Congressman David Wu (OR) and the co-chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus have supported the celebration of Taiwanese American Heritage Week starting from Mother's Day Weekend, so we thought this would be a good time to reshare one of our most popular episodes, an interview we did with Dr. Jerome Keating in 2020 about the history of Taiwan.
Few contemporaries are more qualified than Dr. Jerome Keating on understanding the history of Taiwan. He has been living in Taiwan for over 30 years. Initially he came over to Taiwan to work on the MRT. He has written several books about Taiwan. We invited him on to the podcast to talk about this latest book, Taiwan The Struggle Gains Focus. Dr. Keating also reflected on how Taiwan has changed in the past 30 years, and we discussed things past and present including Taiwan’s complicated international status, amendment of the constitution, changing the official name of Taiwan (which is the Republic of China) and redesigning the passport and flag of Taiwan.
Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:
What motivated Dr. Keating to write his latest book, Taiwan The Struggle Gains Focus
Who the book was intended for and who Dr. Keating writes for
How Taiwan has changed in the last 30 years
The semi-martial-like atmosphere of Taiwan when Dr. Keating arrived in 1988
Keating’s first book Island in the Stream and what motivated him to write it
What intrigues Dr. Keating about Taiwan as a subject matter
How the San Francisco Peace Treaty (signed in 1951) left Taiwan in a limbo status
How the US position on Taiwan 75 years after World War II is still undecided
The circumstances surrounding “Taiwan” aka the Republic of China losing its seat in the United Nations in 1971, which included a proposal to have 2 Chinas in the United Nations
The Republic of China and People’s Republic of China’s claims on China
How Taiwan has never had a seat in the United Nations
The Republic of China framework and constitution that Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang brought to Taiwan
Keating’s thoughts on amending Taiwan’s constitution
Changing the official name and flag that represent Taiwan
Submissions for the new Taiwan passport cover design
The Taiwan Civil Government wanting to make Taiwan the 51st state of the United States
Talking Taiwan 
