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Symposium: Understanding “East Asia”

The Compound State and the “Double Project of Modernity”: A Review of the Twentieth Century East Asian History

Pages 198-214 | Published online: 14 Jun 2013
 

Abstract

My primary question is whether the idea of a “compound state” can connect well with the formation of the East Asian community. It originally came into being in the process of staging a movement for overcoming the division system on the Korean Peninsula. I then applied it to the broader region of East Asia. It will be critical in the implementation of the “double project of adapting to and overcoming modernity.” More specifically, I reviewed questions posed by three cities—Kinmen (Taiwan), Okinawa (Japan) and Kaesung (the Korean Peninsula) regarding the nation state system. They are good illustrations of cross-border cooperation and efforts for self-transformation made by nation states.

Notes

1This paper is based on a presentation given in Korea at the “Modernity and Cities of East Asia: A View from the History of Civilization” Symposium (held on August 24 and 25 in 2010) organized by the Institute of Seoul Studies, the University of Seoul.

2According to Paik Nak-chung (Citation2006, 45–48) who coined the phrase “the shaking division system” in 1998, the June Struggle for Democracy in 1987 was a turning point in sending the division system faltering, culminating in the 2000 June Inter-Korean Summit Meeting which put it into a dismantlement phase leading up to the “end of the division system itself.” Though tension is running particularly high on the Korean Peninsula at present, the fruits of inter-Korean reconciliation are so conspicuous that they are even felt in our daily lives.

3This was first expressed in Baik Citation(1993).

4For a more detailed discussion of this genealogy of ideas, refer to Baik Citation(2011).

5Various classifications were tried in South Korean intellectual community. For example, Im Citation(2007) developed the classifications of Confucian capitalism discourse, political economic discourse of regional integration, post-modern civilization discourse, and critical regionalism discourse, labeling the Changbi (Creation and criticism) East Asian discourse “critical regionalism.” Park Citation(2008) also classified various versions of the discourse as economic community discourse, regional hegemony discourse, East Asian identity discourse and alternative system discourse, defining the Changbi discourse as alternative system discourse.

6The phrase was first used in Baik Citation(2004), and was supplemented with more detail in Baik Citation(2005). Recently an effort to combine inter-disciplinary research and practical experience out in the field has been conceived and is being practiced as a way of “social humanities research.” For social humanities, refer to Y. Baik Citation(2010).

7Baik Citation(2009a) and Baik, Sun and Chen Citation(2006) were created in the process.

8They include “East Asia as an intellectual experiment,” “a dual peripheral perspective,” “the compound state theory,” “interlocked reform agendas in and out of the nation state,” “communicative universality,” and “glocalogy.”

9It is commonly referred to as the “East Asian discourse of the Changbi group,” but this paper is intended to put forth my own arguments. Even so, it is still inherently connected with ideas and theories championed by Choi Won-sik and Paik Nak-chung.

10There is a political scientist who actively advocates this position. See Lee (Citation2011a, 22).

11This idea was first raised in Paik Citation(1999) and it is gradually spreading into various other areas. See Lee Citation(2009).

12Not a few commentaries were offered on my East Asian discourse, out of which I'd like to introduce Ryu Jun-pil's (Citation2010) comments. For overseas criticisms of privileging the Korean Peninsula, see Sun Citation(2009) and Xu Citation(2010).

13The discussion about this paragraph was also mentioned in Baik, Pak, and Miyajima Citation(2009), and the descriptions of Japan are mostly based on Ham Citation(2009).

14One example is Kato Citation(2009). She noted that the Japanese people have always had a chance to make rational choices, but “nevertheless” they chose war because “they were haunted by modern Japanese ‘national’ history since the Meiji Restoration.” In other words, “deep gratification and a sense of accomplishment put restraints on rational final judgment” (Kato Citation2010, 103).

15Gang Sang-jung (Citation2002, 163) suggested that Japan should drop its “big state consciousness” as a national strategy and move towards a “non-hegemonic” middle-level state, so it can coexist with other Asian neighbors. His suggestion is exactly consistent with my arguments.

16The martial law of this period left people seriously traumatized, as described in detail by Sun (Citation2011, 78–79).

17 Taiwan: A Radical Quarterly in Social Studies, a Taiwanese periodical, published a special issue (no. 74) on the division system theory in June 2009.

18For one such attempt, see Sun Citation(2011).

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