Islands in relations: Conflicts, sustainability, and peace in the East China Sea

Keywords: territory, sovereignty, ocean, relationality, transnational connectivity
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 12

Abstract

It has been commonly understood that an island is legally imagined as a geographical entity habitable for humans and as a mediator of sovereign control over seas and sea terrains surrounding the island. These conceptual elements of an island are keys to understand how it has been treated domestically and internationally. According to this definition, this paper addresses the following three ‘relational’ aspects of islands.　First, islands are situated in a complex web of sovereign state powers. Colonization, territorialization, militarization, or marginalization exemplifies this situation. Conflicts over islands often emerge along these lines. Second, oceanity, remoteness, and smallness characterize islands. While these aspects may lead to their socio-economic, ecological vulnerability, they can be opened toward fishery, inter-island networks, maritime trade, and tourism. Sustainability is crucial for islands’ development. Third, many islands have become battlefields between imperial powers, unlike peaceful island images. Some are still under heavy military presence on which island economy tends to depend. Thus, the main research question of this paper is how these relational perspectives can illuminate the realities and desirable futures of islands. Using the case of islands in the East China Sea, this paper provides two types of answers. One is epistemological: a territorial epistemology needs to be deconstructed to see the sea as a milieu for transnational connectivity. The other is practical: trans-border interactions such as border tourism or bilateral maritime developmental initiatives can increase islands’ sustainability without creating tensions.