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A Critical Review of the Fairbank's Tribute System: Some Problems of the Sino-centric Perspective

  • The Journal of Northeast Asia Research
  • Abbr : NEA
  • 2018, 33(2), pp.5-33
  • DOI : 10.18013/jnar.2018.33.2.001
  • Publisher : The Institute for Northeast Asia Research
  • Research Area : Social Science > Political Science > International Politics > International Relations / Cooperation
  • Received : November 20, 2018
  • Accepted : December 16, 2018
  • Published : December 31, 2018

Hong Myeonki 1

1동북아역사재단

Accredited

ABSTRACT

There has been a lot of criticism and complementary discussions on Fairbanks' tribute system. This paper emphasizes that it is important to review the academic background, methodological characteristics and Chinese experience of Fairbank, as well as deepening the research results so far. It seems that while being convinced of the supremacy of Western culture, he served for real-political need from the U.S. by adding another view of Sino-centrism in East Asia, In the wake of the rise of China, the hegemonic competition between the U.S. and China has heated up, and the debate about the so called neo-tributary order has been raised that China tries to rebuild the tribute system of the past. It is worthwhile to note that in this process, China is viewed from the American perspective, and the Fairbank-based epistemology of Sino-centric East Asian order is strongly intervened. Korea is said to be historically the most exemplary tributary state of Chins, but in reality it has an alliance with the United States. Under such circumstances, it seems that the risk of the U.S. and Sino-centric historical perception operating as a dual centrifugal force to incorporate Korea into their own powers cannot be ruled out. East Asian history has experienced many momenta and dynamics that cannot be simply reduced to a binary relationship between China and its neighbors. In order to restore the pluralistic characteristics of East Asian history and to understand the political context of the Fairbank's theory, it is necessary to have a balanced understanding of the Sino-centric tribute system by Fairbank and the sense of problem to read its current meaning.

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