The purpose of this study is to analyze how China as a ‘imaginary community’ discoursed on ‘a foreign country’ through the representation system in which China described or expressed regions and peoples outside of China before the modern era and to ...
The purpose of this study is to analyze how China as a ‘imaginary community’ discoursed on ‘a foreign country’ through the representation system in which China described or expressed regions and peoples outside of China before the modern era and to explore that specific context of how these foreign discourses have ultimately contributed to the formation of the identity of ‘China’. The contents of research for 3 years for this purpose are as follows:
In the 1st year, we analyzed the meaning of world composition and foreign images reproduced in world records, geography books, and Travelogues from the Song Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty. In the 2nd year, we analyzed the cultural and social context in which the relevant place is signified as a specific space through the custom of linguistic and genre representation in regional and country-specific geographic books, travel texts, and general books related to China. In the third year, we analyzed the world order and foreign perception that China imagines, which are reproduced in foreign-related image materials such as maps and royal tribute picture(職貢圖) and historical narrative texts.
Composed of a total of five people including 1 research director, 2 doctoral level researchers, 2 joint researchers (one of them joins in the 2nd year), this research team conducted data collection, field surveys, research conferences, special lectures by experts, expert advice, and presentations at academic conferences in order to carry out the above research, and achieved abundant findings such as research papers, bibliographical introductions of primary data, and translations as the result. First, the research team published a total of 21 research papers during the three-year research project. Among them, especially two research papers won the Best Paper Awards awarded by the ‘Korean Chinese Language and Literature related Society Council’, which resulted in the achievement of widely publicizing the research content and excellence of this research project to the academic community. In addition, this research team has written 38 bibliographical introductions of major texts related to the research project, which will be used as valuable references in the academic community. Moreover, this research team contributed to the spread of research results by jointly translating and publishing 1 academic book and drew positive reviews from the academic community.
The above results of this study are expected to present a new perspective and solution for understanding China throughout Chinese Studies as well as Chinese literature, history, geography.
The specific expected effects of this study are as follows:
First, it provides a framework of interpretation for understanding the origin and nature of the Chinese world order currently envisioned by China. Second, it presents a new perspective and solution for territorial disputes and historical interpretation related to China. Third, it promotes further research and envisions Chinese studies in a new perspective by discovering and introducing new materials. Fourth, it establishes educational materials to understand China in a more three-dimensional way by clarifying the discourse system and the meaning for foreign countries made by China. Fifth, it becomes a mirror to the 'understanding of the other' necessary for the current Korean society transitioning to a multicultural society.