Introduction

This special issue contains a selection of articles, produced from papers presented at a workshop under the title Border Societies, Chinese descendants in East Asia under Japanese colonialism, 1895-1945, convened in Macao on 25 June 2013. Its purpose is to contribute to the writing of a global history of East Asia, as a counterpoise to the contestations over historical issues, which at present dominate the public debate in the region and keep the involved nations divided. To achieve this purpose, the historical exploration of controversial themes is required such as the existence and uses of multiple identities, the apparent dividedness of state institutions, and the possibility of ambiguous loyalties among citizens when these have vital interests in more than one national state. The Chinese cross-border business networks and the migrations of people in the region provide the vantage point for such a study in this issue. It tackles on questions as, how did commodities, people, capital and ideas flow transnationally during the Japanese occupation period, and how did these flows become embedded in the local societies? They thoroughly transformed the relationships among the nations involved, and contributed to the region’s rise in the modern world.