本書以二二八事件的歷史真相與轉型正義為主軸，涵蓋二二八事件的原因論述、國際社會在事件前後對於台灣地位的認識、縣市首長與情治單位在事件中的角色、事件中的軍事部署與鎮壓、事件對於台灣新聞媒體造成的衝擊、平反運動的歷史考察以及歷任總統對於轉型正義的作為等面向，除了導論之外，共有八章。這本專書是繼A Tragic Beginning: The Taiwan Uprising of February 28, 1947（中文版書名：《悲劇性的開端》）一書出版時隔三十年後，第二本二二八事件英文學術專書，更是第一本由財團法人二二八事件紀念基金會策劃、台灣本土學者戮力完成的二二八事件英文學術專書。這本書的出版將是二二八研究走向國際的新里程碑，亦有助於提高財團法人二二八事件紀念基金會的國際能見度，進而邁開步伐化身為二二八研究的國際重鎮。
The Tragedy of 228: Historical Truth and Transitional Justice in Taiwan, published by The Memorial Foundation of 228, is the first academic volume on the 228 Incident published in English in over three decades, since the 1991 publication of A Tragic Beginning: The Taiwan Uprising of February 28, 1947.

The book explores eight different aspects of the 228 Incident in its main chapters: “What Caused the Incident: A Comparison of Government and Citizen Accounts from 1947, ” “International Perspectives on the Legal Status of Taiwan during and after the Incident, ” “Military Deployment and Suppression during the Incident, ” “Taiwan's News Media under the Impact of the Incident, ” “The Roles of Local Government Heads during the Incident, ” “The Roles of Intelligence Agencies during the Incident, ” “Historical Explorations of the Campaign to Redress Injustices of the Incident (1987-1997), ” and “Presidential Attitudes towards the Movement for Transitional Justice (1988-2019).”

Through the publication of this book, the Memorial Foundation of 228 sets a new milestone in the study of 228 Incident, by pursuing the principles of transitional justice through academic inquiry. In addition, the book makes a significant contribution to the international academic community in the field of Modern Taiwanese History.

Editor-in-chief
Chen Yi-Shen
President, Academia Historica
Ph.D., Department of Political Science, National Chengchi University

Hsueh Hua-Yuan
Chairman, Memorial Foundation of 228
Professor, Graduate Institute of Taiwan History, National Chengchi University
Ph.D., Department of History, National Taiwan University

Editor
Yang Chen­Long
Executive Director, Memorial Foundation of 228
Doctor of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University

Translator
Jamie Brown
MA Sinology, SOAS University of London

Shih Fang-Long
Co-director, Taiwan Research Programme, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Research Fellow, Asia Research Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Ph.D., University of London, co-supervision from LSE Anthropology and SOAS Religious Studies

Reviewer
Bo Tedards
Director, International Cooperation Department, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
M.A., Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
B.A., Department of Political Science, Yale University

Authors
Chen Yi-Shen
President, Academia Historica
Ph.D., Department of Political Science, National Chengchi University

Hsueh Hua-Yuan
Chairman, Memorial Foundation of 228
Professor, Graduate Institute of Taiwan History, National Chengchi University
Ph.D., Department of History, National Taiwan University

Ho I-Lin
Professor, Graduate School of Taiwanese Culture, National Taipei University of Education
Ph.D., Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo

Lin Cheng-Hui
Assistant Research Fellow, Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica
Ph.D., Department of History, National Taiwan University

Ou Su-Ying
Director, Department of Compilation and Research, Academia Historica
Ph.D., Department of History, National Taiwan Normal University

Shiu Wen-Tang
Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica
Ph.D., University of Paris-Diderot

Su Yao-Tsung
Professor, Center for General Education, Providence University
Ph.D., Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University

Wu Chun-Ying
Associate Researcher, Department of Compilation and Research, Academia Historica
Ph.D., Department of History, National Taiwan University

Ix List of Illustrations
x List of Tables
xi Notes on Citations, Romanizations and Translations
xiii Preface
xvii Foreword
1 Introduction
15 Chapter Ⅰ
What Caused the Incident:
A Comparison of Government and Citizen Accounts
from 1947
59 Chapter Ⅱ
International Perspectives on the Legal Status of
Taiwan
during and after the Incident
107 Chapter Ⅲ
Military Deployment and Suppression during the
Incident
173 Chapter Ⅳ
Taiwan's News Media under the Impact of the
Incident
211 Chapter Ⅴ
The Roles of Local Government Heads during the
Incident
287 Chapter Ⅵ
The Roles of Intelligence Agencies during the
Incident
371 Chapter Ⅶ
Historical Explorations of the Campaign to Redress
Injustices
of the Incident (1987-1997)
413 Chapter Ⅷ
Presidential Attitudes towards the Movement for
Transitional
Justice (1988-2019)
493 Appendix
499 Selected Bibliography (in alphabetical order)
531 Glossary
549 Index