AAS-in-Asia, Seoul

The Mongols and the Others: Cultural and Religious Exchange in Eurasia in the 13-17th Century

Session Submission Type: Organized Panel Proposal Application

Abstract

Cultural exchanges occur in vastly various forms over history, but in some relations between civilizations the norm of exchange is misunderstood as mostly one-sided, the seemingly more civilized civilizing the seemingly less endowed. One of the areas this kind of perspective used to rule is where the nomadic culture is involved. The case of Mongols is a paramount example because of the rich dynamics within the multicultural empire it created, and the lingering influence they held after the world empire. Yet they have usually been the ‘others’ in the discourse of civilizations of China, Central Asia, Middle East, and Russia.

This panel is an attempt to turn the table around, to put the Mongols in the main spotlight and examine the ‘others’ as recipients of cultural influence to even the scale, and then to be able to talk about cultural ‘ex-change’ between civilizations. And yes, cultural influences did they have upon others.

Since the Mongols occupied most of the Eurasian continent in the 13th century, they established cultural line of influence with the others. Mongol princesses were married to subject rulers and acted as an independent political power. Young elites of the conquered lands were forced to stay in the Mongol court, growing in Mongol culture and returned to their home washed in Mongol ideology. In other words, the Mongols, a significant and influential power which continued their exchanges with the others, played an important role in making the face of Eurasia.

Area of Study

• China and Inner Asia

Session Organizer

• Soyoung Choi, Seoul National University, Korea

Chair

• Sungsoo Kim, Seoul National University of Science and Technology

Individual Presentations

• A Tibetan or a Mongol: Life of Chakna Dorje (phyag na rdo rje, 1239-1267), little brother of Phagpa ('phags pa, 1235-1280) - Soyoung Choi, Seoul National University, Korea

• The Princesses of Mongol Empire Married into the Royal Family of Koryo: Their Political Identity and Influence - Myungmi Lee, Seoul National University

• Duk(纛)/ Tugh/ thug: Army Banners in the Eastern Eurasian Cultural Exchanges - Sungsoo Kim, Seoul National University of Science and Technology

• Between Buddhist Zunghar and Islamic Altishahri: A Biography of Erkebeg (d. 1681) - Sungje Yoon, Seoul University

• A Critical Examination on the Records Related to Korea in Mongolian Chronicles in the Seventeenth Century - Janggoo Kim, Catholic Kwandong Univ.