University of Heidelberg

C12 The Asian Sea

The Asian Sea. A Transnational Maritime History of the Age of Imperialism, 1850-1918

Coordination: Harald Fuess

Abstract

Most historical narratives of modern Asia trace the development of newly emerging nation-states. When scholars look at the region more broadly they often do so from the point of view of Western imperialism. What is missing is a comprehensive overview beyond the textbook level of the transnational similarities of Asia's modern history as it has been practiced in histories of the Mediterranean since Ferdinand Braudel's seminal tomes. This collaborative project uses the construct of an "Asian Sea" as its starting point to explore the transnational experiences and commonalities of countries adjacent to what has been called "the Japan Sea," the "Korean Sea", "Chinese Sea" or "the Indian Ocean" as one interdependent narrative connected or disjointed by their mutual maritime and coastal experiences. Country specialists will develop together common issues and comparative topics to be published in collective thematic volumes with an overarching emphasis on the "asymmetries in cultural flows." Project Duration 2009-2012.