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Assimilation and Industrialization: The Demand for Soap in Colonial Taiwan

In: Imitation, Counterfeiting and the Quality of Goods in Modern Asian History

Author

Listed:
  • Kensuke Hirai

    (Konan University)

Abstract

This chapter explores the process through which the requirement Assimilation of “Assimilation into Civilization” generated the demand for modern “small things”. One characteristic of Japanese colonialism was assimilation, and the Japanese decried the Taiwanese people as “unhygienic” and required them to use bathhousesBathhouses and soap on various occasions. In order to cope with the obsession that they must become “hygienic”, the Taiwanese frequented bathhousesBathhouses and public baths and used soapSoap that expressed “assimilation into Civilization”. However, most Taiwanese faced the problem that they could not afford to buy toiletry soap. That is, most Taiwanese were placed in a dilemma between the necessity for assimilation and their lack of purchasing power. In order to resolve this dilemma, the Taiwanese used laundry soapLaundry soap for bathing as a substitute for toiletry soap. Expanding demand for laundry soap brought about the rise of the soap industry in Taiwan, and it succeeded in eliminating Japanese imports from the marketMarket to a considerable extent. Thus, the Japanese “assimilation policy” was one of the driving forces behind Taiwanese industrialization.

Suggested Citation

  • Kensuke Hirai, 2017. "Assimilation and Industrialization: The Demand for Soap in Colonial Taiwan," Studies in Economic History, in: Kazuko Furuta & Linda Grove (ed.), Imitation, Counterfeiting and the Quality of Goods in Modern Asian History, chapter 0, pages 183-201, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:stechp:978-981-10-3752-8_10
    DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-3752-8_10
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