Webinars & Presentations
From Island-Hopping to the First Island Chain: Visible and Invisible American Power in Okinawa and Taiwan
During World War II, the United States advanced across the Pacific through a strategy commonly known as “island-hopping”. After 1945, many of these wartime footholds became part of a more permanent network of American military power in East Asia. As the Chinese Civil War, the Korean War, and the global Cold War reshaped the region, Okinawa and Taiwan acquired new strategic importance. Okinawa remained under direct U.S. administration until 1972 and continues to host a highly concentrated and visible American base presence. These bases have transformed Okinawan land, everyday life, politics, and culture, while generating sustained protest and anti-base movements. Taiwan, by contrast, hosted American advisers, servicemen, facilities, and military operations without presenting itself publicly as a “base society.” By comparing Okinawa and Taiwan, this talk asks how military power becomes visible or invisible. It also explores how American servicemen’s bodies, movements, and everyday encounters carried U.S. power beyond the physical boundaries of military bases.
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