Shelley Rigger, Professor, Davidson University

Is China Part of Taiwan?

There is a long-standing debate over whether Taiwan is part of China. Beijing insists that not only is Taiwan part of China, it is part of the People’s Republic of China. Most Taiwanese reject the idea that the island they live on is part of the PRC, and they would prefer to remain outside the PRC state’s jurisdiction. But when it comes to China – the abstract, cultural, historical idea of China – the situation is more interesting. While some Taiwanese embrace an identity that relegates Chineseness to a minor role (or even dismiss it altogether), most of Taiwan’s 24 million people recognize a cultural and historical attachment to China. Where the two sides differ is over the meaning of that attachment for contemporary political arrangements. Few Taiwanese are swayed by the historical determinism and cultural essentialism that underlie the PRC’s case for “unification.” Rather, they believe that political identity and citizenship should follow the will of the people, not the dictates of history.

In the Cornell Contemporary China Initiative’s (CCCI) seventh year, our guest speakers and host Allen Carlson critically examine, the question “What is China?”

This topic is explored in the series through utilizing an inter-disciplinary perspective and making use of both historical and contemporary lenses thereby touching upon some of the most pressing and significant political and social issues now facing “China” and the rest of the world. In this context particular attention will be paid to contested places, with special consideration of how they are placed within (or without) what is considered to be China. In so doing it will shed light on the impact such practices and processes have had on those living in these regions.

Hosted by Allen Carlson, Director of CAPS and Michael J. Zak Chair, Cornell University | Director of CCCI for Fall 2021

Cosponsored by the East Asia Program and The Levinson China and Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS) Program.

The lecture series complements Professor Carlson’s course of the same name:

CAPS 3967 / ASIAN 3395 / GOVT 3967