#The ‘Asian World’  #Exchange Networks  #Textual & Archaeological Evidence  #Interdisciplinary & Convergent Research  #East Asian Mediterranean

The Exchange and Cooperation in the Asian World Program aims to identify the various exchange networks that existed in the ‘Asian World’, and to trace the intertwined histories of these networks through textual and archaeological evidence. Due to the vastness of the study area and the diversity of the research topics involved, this endeavor requires an interdisciplinary and convergent approach, the development of which will act to provide a new research framework for ‘Asian Regional Studies’. The examination of exchange networks from a diachronic perspective will demonstrate how ‘mobility’ and ‘connectivity’ have contributed to the formation and reproduction of the ‘Asian World’, and may also provide insights on exchange and cooperation in the contemporary Asian World. Research goals for 2020-2021 include the construction of an ‘Archaeological and Historical Evidence for Exchange in the Asian World Database’ – key datasets will be summarized and provided in English. Research will also be undertaken on the history of exchange in the eastern section of the ‘East Asian Mediterranean’, the results of which will be disseminated through research articles, an edited volume, and international workshops.

• Conceptualizing the ‘Asian World’: Developing a theoretical perspective that allows the Asian World to be explored as a ‘continuation’ and ‘ensemble’
• Empirical studies on the exchange networks of the ‘Asian World’: Tracing the ancient elite networks of Asia by analyzing the spread of domesticated animals
• Ancient exchange in the Eastern Section of the ‘East Asian Mediterranean’: Comparative research on the eastern (i.e. the East Sea Rim region) and the western (i.e. West Sea Rim region) sections of the ‘East Asian Mediterranean’

Oh Young Kwon | Director | koy1108@snu.ac.kr | Ancient Korean History | Maritime Exchange in East Asia, Comparative Research on Ancient States in East Asia

Byung-Joon Kim | Co-Researcher | bj426@snu.ac.kr | Ancient Chinese History | Formation of the East Asian Civilization, Research on Ancient States in East Asia

Jong Il Kim | Co-Researcher | jikim218@snu.ac.kr | European Prehistoric Archaeology | Eurasian Civilization Exchange, Heritage Management and Public Archaeology

Ilhong Ko | Co-Researcher | mahari95@snu.ac.kr | Korean Prehistoric Archaeology | Ancient Migration and Trade, North Korean Archaeology

Eunbyul Ko | Co-Researcher | eunbyul@snu.ac.kr | Zooarchaelogy | Animal Domestication, Ancient Animal Sacrifice Rituals