Theory of East Asia and Eastern Eurasia in Korean Ancient History Studies

Abstract

Under the Cold War system, studies were conducted that positioned Korea in Asia, and the United States constructed an ancient East Asian world centered on China in the framework of tributary relations(조공). Korean researchers created new concepts such as tribute-investiture relations(조공·책봉) with a critical mindset to solve the problem of China-centrism. The collapse of the Cold War generated interest in new historical worlds, leading to a review of marine history, maritime history, and East Asian history. The pluralism and multilayeredness of “Korea” will be discussed, along with broader regional theories such as East Eurasia(동부유라시아). At that time, the discourse of the region created through the nation-state, such as the Korean narrative, becomes an issue to be kept in mind. Therefore, an analysis of multilayered narratives in space and time is necessary.