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THE QUESTION OF COLONIAL MODERNITY

In the context of Taiwanese history it is important to analyze the concept of colonial modernity, understanding both the attraction and the oppression of modernity, without regarding it simply as evidence of historical progress. Like so many other fashionable terms, however, the term ‘‘colonial modernity’’ is ambiguous: its meaning depends on each writer. Before we proceed we must first make clear what is meant by the term here.

As LeoChing has pointed out, one of the intended effects of the term ‘‘colonial modernity’’ is to draw attention to structural similarities between Western imperialism and Japanese imperialism, and to emphasize ‘‘the interrelationship and interdependency of the specific Japanese case, with, and within, the generality of global capitalist colonialism.’’1 I would like to discuss a perspective here that investigates colonial modernity as generally as possible, while focusing mainly on Japan’s rule in Taiwan.

Colonial rule in the nineteenth and twentieth century was different from earlier colonial rule in that it was closely connected with modernization in various fields, such as politics, economic development, and the use ofmilitary power.Not only were the new rulers superiormilitarily, but they carried prestige as representatives of Western civilization. The notion of ‘‘civilization’’ involved a variety of elements, such as a political systembased on parliamentarism, the capitalistmode