In a League of Their Own: Exploring Taiwan's Colonial Past through the Baseball Film, Kano

Resource Type: 
Presentation Slides (e.g PowerPoint)
Intended Audience: 
K-12
World Regions: 
Asia

This curriculum module explores the history of Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule through the baseball film, Kano. The film depicts the true story of the Kagi Agricultural and Forestry School (Kano) baseball team, an underdog, multi-ethnic team of Chinese, Indigenous Taiwanese, and Japanese high school players, who defied the odds to reach the 1931 Japanese High School Baseball Championship. While Korea’s experience as a Japanese colony is often discussed in textbooks, the module looks to highlight the unique contours of Taiwan’s colonial experience as well as how it is remembered in the island today. The module includes a discussion of the history of Japanese colonialism in Taiwan and how memories of colonialism shape Taiwanese identity.