Europe Meets Formosa, 1510-1662: Two Historical Studies

Europe Meets Formosa, 1510-1662, two Historical Studies, comprises two parts. They both cover some aspects of the history of East-West encounters on the Island of Formosa (as it was callled by the Europeans, better known today as Taiwan), and each can be read as a stand-alone study. It looks at the Island's history after it became known to the Europeans and before Taiwan's population became predominantly Chinese, following large-scale immigration, initially encouraged by the Dutch colonizers. Part I investigates the story of Portuguese "discovery" and "naming" of Formosa in the sixteenth century, in the context of conflicting claims and recent scholarly debates in Taiwan which challenged these conventional wisdoms. Relying on Portuguese rutters (sailing instructions), maps and other first-hand documents, it aims at eliminating historically erroneous claims and moving the readers to an informed consensus on this matter. Earlier and shorter versions of this study have appeared in peer-reviewed journals in Europe and in Taiwan. Part II deals with the history of Dutch efforts to educate, civilize and convert the aborigines of Formosa between 1624 and 1662, drawing on a large body of mostly Dutch primary sources. It revisits the stories of mission schools for Formosan aborigines, examines what motivated the colonizer to devote resources to this objective; how differentiating identities of the colonized such as race, age, gender, language, and faith, had influenced school policies over time; and what were some of the native responses. This study is published here for the first time. This publication is available from leading online book vendors as an e-book (in epub format with flowing texts or in pdf format with fixed pagination), an environmentally responsible and less costly alternative recommended by this author, and, if preferred by the readers, in print form (paperback and hardcover). Given the freedom which comes with the electronic format, some desirable revisions have been incorporated. Both studies now have additional and more in-depth write-ups, citations, contextual information and illustrations than their earlier versions. These enhancements will hopefully give readers a fuller and deeper understanding of the history of Formosa in those earlier years. All citations and additional comments are included as endnotes (epub) or footnotes (pdf and print), and all cited works of are listed in the bibliography.