Understanding social sustainability: A critical review of select Bronze Age studies in the Korean Peninsula

One of the cardinal global issues of our time is to ferret out determinants of sustainability of human society. Archaeology has long identified and addressed endogenous and exogenous variables and mechanisms which are keys to elucidating continuity and termination of past societies. This critical review addresses a brief overview of some major theoretical constructs – overshoot, diminishing marginal returns and resilience theory – as they are related to the sustainability discourses. Their applicability in archaeological research settings and limitations thereof are also discussed. A rigorous review of the research on the demise of the Bronze Age sub-periods in Korean peninsula reveals that the related research is scarce except for studies considering climate change as the main variable. Paleo-environmental and climatic reconstruction at an enhanced higher resolution show it is not easy to identify the causal relationships between the climatic conditions and the social changes through Bronze Age. In order to lucidly articulate and delineate emergence and decline of Bronze Age sub-period cultures and societies, environmental, social and cultural resilience must be reconsidered. In particular, the role of rice agriculture played in the contexts of social complexity and economic systems ought to be reexamined and reassessed. Ultimately, it is suggested that employing a heuristic model would contribute to heightening our present understanding of the diversified developments and demise of the Bronze Age cultures.