The Exchange and Cooperation in the Asian World Program is holding a colloquium entitled ‘In Search of the Maritime Kingdom of Ryukyu – Journeys in East Asia’s “West Mediterranean”‘ that tracks the network of trades with Okinawa as its arena, in order to disclose the vivid scenes of East Asian maritime trades.

On July 14th, SNUAC’s Exchange and Cooperation in the Asian World Program held its first academic event. The Exchange and Cooperation in the Asian World Program was established in March 2020 to examine the substance of past exchange networks that contributed to the formation of the ancient Asian world and to grasp its modern heritage to offer new implications for the future strategies of exchange and cooperation with Asia. As the program where theoretical research conceptualizing the ‘Asian World’ as a ‘continuation’ and ‘ensemble’, empirical studies on Asia’s exchange networks, and comparative research on the ancient exchange in the Eastern section of the East Asian Mediterranean will be conducted, the Exchange and Cooperation in the Asian World Program will support active interdisciplinary and consilient research.

In this event, the program director, Prof. Kwon Oh Young, presented on ‘In Search of the Maritime Kingdom of Ryukyu – Journeys in East Asia’s “West Mediterranean”‘. The presentation diachronically examined the exchange networks that took place in Okinawa in order to reveal the vibrant scenes of maritime exchanges in East Asia. It also emphasized the necessity of research with the East Asian World as a unit, and also offered implications on the directions of Koryo and Joseon maritime research.