The Millennium Nucleus ICLAC, in collaboration with the UC Institute of History and the UC Asian Studies Center, organized a new ICLAC Seminar on Wednesday, June 5, featuring academic Andrés Rodríguez, who presented the talk titled “The Border Crisis of Republican China (1919 – 1945)”. The event was attended by students and scholars and focused on the complex geopolitical situation of China during the first half of the 20th century.
Rodríguez, a researcher at the University of Sydney, began his presentation by addressing the influence of the Japanese and Russian empires in Manchuria and Mongolia, respectively. He highlighted how the establishment of the People's Republic of Mongolia in 1924, with Soviet support, and the dispute over Xinjiang reflected the border tensions of the era.
Another topic discussed was the situation in Yunnan Province, where the influence of the French Empire and its railway to Kunming illustrated the intricate relations between China and imperialist powers. Rodríguez emphasized how Chinese nationalism, centered on the Han ethnicity, had to adapt to include territories like Manchuria, Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet, despite cultural and economic differences.
The academic also addressed the role of Western missionaries and their influence on Chinese borders, highlighting figures such as David Crockett Graham, who established an ethnographic museum in Chengdu. Additionally, the impact of militarism and agricultural colonization on consolidating Chinese sovereignty was discussed. Rodríguez noted that “the missionary also appears as a border archetype,” emphasizing his role in connecting with local communities.
During the talk, Rodríguez also covered the resistance war against Japan and how this conflict redefined Chinese borders, driving policies of integration and modernization of ethnic minorities. An example of this was the Border Service, an initiative that trained idealistic youth to work in border areas, promoting education and development under the Kuomintang administration.
It is worth noting that Andrés Rodríguez's latest book “Frontier Fieldwork: Building a Nation in China’s Borderlands, 1919-45”, which delves into China’s efforts to consolidate its sovereignty in border regions, can be found here: UBC Press | Frontier Fieldwork – Building a Nation in China’s Borderlands, 1919–45, By Andres Rodriguez