Long Live the Tributary System! The Future of Studying East Asian Foreign Relations

• DOI: 10.1353/jas.2017.0002
• Publication Date: 2017-04-23T13:01:26Z
• Authors: Saeyoung Park
• Keywords: 05 social sciences; 0506 political science

Long Live the Tributary System!The Future of Studying East Asian Foreign Relations Saeyoung Park Keywords international relations, Westphalian system, Sinocentric world order 中華世界秩序, IR turn in history, David Kang, Asia before West, China's rise, hegemony, Sino-speak, imperialism Almost a half century has passed since publication John King Fairbank's edited volume, The Chinese World Order.1 Since then, tributary system come to serve as something synecdoche for pre-1900 relations. Briefly, "institutional and textual complex" known describes practices, norms, structures foreign relations.2 As an aspirational "Chinese order," this hierarchical cohered around premise that China represented apical center civilization. became professional canonical object enquiry through work during mid-twentieth century, but it older origins.3 [End Page 1] we know was born moment its imperial destruction—in global harmonization when "modern" diplomatic practices ideas sovereignty replaced preexisting regimes relations.4 In terms contemporary scholarly relevance, system's capacity inspire research outside History Area Studies no doubt makes one field's most famous exports. Yet, very community specialists given birth also consistently exhibited uneasy relationship with system. An critique from inception, public dissatisfied fine-tuning characterized existence; even well-known iteration, such Order, is framed corrective response enduring persistent problems literature.5 A flawed yet powerfully resonant paradigm, acceptance existence been grudgingly. recently 2009, James Hevia remarked (in another introduction special issue) their project had motivated by Wills Jr.'s observation "'tribute system' wreck" could wonder "if there anything be salvaged it."6 Optimistically somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I would like start HJAS issue "officially" declaring not dead. live system! fact, recent signs life suggest flourishing return far beyond mere whispers new perennial shoots. But readers need fear, offers insights both those 2] who are dismayed well thrilled putative resurrection. which health am cheekily exalting essay? This question tricky because possesses multiple, contested, overlapping dimensions. Some scholars posit (a) historical, lived experience, (b) category analysis, (c) explanatory theory organizes historical phenomena, sometimes (d) theoretical model may have predictive applications. Hence, critical discourse first requires determination play, scholar's estimation accuracy viability match same assessment power International (IR) model. systems never died were danger being ignominiously retired outdated topic.7 Disambiguating congeries only facilitates clear communication ensures efficacious can travel across disciplinary spaces audiences variable concerns. stakes reappraising early modern relations today they led wave revisionist scholarship on order. past decade witnessed significant transformative resurgence interest premodern "IR turn" driven primarily Studies.8 turn's interpretive scope accommodated enormous range questions, including "American system" a...