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An Asian Mediterranean as the Analogy of Archipelagic Ontology

Lee Alex Taek-Gwang 1

1경희대학교

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ABSTRACT

This essay explores the concept of islands as utopian spaces in seventeenth-century Asian literature and thought, with a focus on the Korean novel The Story of Hong Gildong. In this novel, the main character establishes a society based on equality on an island, in contrast to the oppressive mainland. These island utopias were a recurring theme throughout seventeenth-century Asia, reflecting a collective belief in islands as free and unrestricted spaces. The essay suggests viewing the South China Sea archipelago as an "Asian Mediterranean," a geographical area embodying this literary theme. However, instead of examining the ancient world through an anthropological lens, the essay contextualizes this island imagery within the context of modern globalization and the expansion of capitalism. It primarily focuses on overseas Chinese communities, which have been intricately connected to European colonial enterprises since the seventeenth century. By engaging with Deleuze's concept of "desert islands," the essay explores the ontological status of archipelagos and their potential to resist the ideological territorialization imposed by nation-states in Asia since the twentieth century. It argues that the archipelagic imagination points to spatial ontologies that go beyond and challenge nationalist ideological frameworks. Ultimately, the essay aims to rediscover utopian archetypes of archipelagic ontology and reinterpret them as valuable resources for reimagining socio-spatial relationships that extend beyond the confines of nation-state paradigms.

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* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.
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