“Obstructed embrace”: The ID card institution in Shanghai, 1945-1949

Ren, Xiaoyan

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125589 Copy

Description

Title

“Obstructed embrace”: The ID card institution in Shanghai, 1945-1949

Author(s)

Ren, Xiaoyan

Issue Date

2024-07-19

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Chow, Kai-wing

Committee Member(s)

• Martin, Jeffery T
• Wilson, Roderick Ike

Department of Study

E. Asian Languages & Cultures

Discipline

E Asian Languages & Cultures

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.A.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• Modern-state building
• Individual identification
• Japanese occupation
• Republican China
• Shanghai

Abstract

Following the victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, the Nationalist government in China implemented ID cards in some of its controlled regions as an integral part of the modern-state building project, albeit faced with considerable difficulties and resistance. Focusing on Shanghai, one of the cities that piloted the ID card policy, this thesis examines the various obstacles encountered. It approaches the obstacles from three aspects: the technology used in the ID cards to differentiate individuals and to authenticate documents; the administrative structure and the corrupted personnel responsible for distributing the ID cards; and the trauma of Japanese occupation that stigmatized ID cards as symbols of foreign invasion and excessive surveillance. The obstructed use of ID cards in post-1945 Shanghai provides a fresh perspective on the state-society relations during Nationalist government’s final attempts to build a modern state on mainland China.

Graduation Semester

2024-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125589

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2024 Xiaoyan Ren

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