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Holding an Academic Conference on ‘History of the Mongol Empire’

  On September 25, the Foundation held the 2023 Korea-Mongolia Joint International Academic Conference on ‘the Mongol Empire and World History’. This academic conference has been held regularly since 2012, alternating between Korea and Mongolia, and has addressed common historical interests in Northeast Asia as well as the history of Korea-Mongolia relations.

Recently, a large-scale reorganization of the history of the Mongol Empire has been ongoing both domestically and internationally. The National Chinggis Khaan Museum was opened in Ulan Bator, Mongolia last October and in May of this year, the Foundation published 『Generous Conqueror, Great Yuan Empire』 in May this year, and the University of Cambridge published 『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』 in August. These recent movements demonstrate the trend in the 21st century of expanding the study of the Mongol Empire history from the regional level to the global context of world history.

  Moreover, as the globalization trend has accelerated since the end of the Cold War around 1990, the growing interest and new approaches to the period of the 13th-century Mongol Empire, which can be considered the origin of globalization, are quite a natural phenomenon. The emergence of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century led to the establishment of the ‘Pax Mongolica(Mongol-led peace)’ order. In the midst of these sudden opportunities and various risks, many nations and cultures started to adjust their identities by employing various survival strategies.

  This academic conference was organized into two parts, the first section reviewing the significance of the publication of 『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』, and the second section covering recent tendencies and trends in the study of Chinggis Khaan and the history of the Mongol Empire within Korean-Mongolian academia. The extensive discussions on globalization, cultural exchanges, identity crisis, and reconstruction of the Mongol Empire were expected to provide historical insights to resolve historical conflicts and cultural clashes that are intensifying in the age of globalization. So, what kind of intellectual feast was held at this Korea-Mongolia joint international academic conference?

The publication of 『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』 and its significance

  『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』 was mainly co-edited by Professor Michal Biran(Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and Honorary Professor Kim Hodong(Seoul National University). About 40 scholars participated, and it was published in August this year. The Cambridge’s history series has a high reputation and is considered required reading for anyone studying a specific field from a historical perspective. 『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』 is the first book in the Cambridge history series to cover the entire history of the Mongol Empire. The presentation of the first section marked great scholarly significance, as the two scholars responsible for editing 『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』 directly introduced its content and meaning.

Professor Michal Biran, who gave the first presentation introducing 『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』, explained the compilation process, principles, composition, recent research trends, and development directions of the book. Serving as an appendix to volume 1 of 『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』, volume 2 explores literature materials, archeological specimens, and visual sources related to the Mongol Empire and provides a bibliography list. The presenter expressed the hope that 『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』 would serve as a catalyst for innovative research that allows people can view the Mongol Empire in its full Eurasian context.

  Professor Kim Hodong presented the “Research Historical Significance of 『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』”. Professor Kim summarized that since the beginning of modern academic research on the history of the Mongol Empire, which originated from the publication of History of Mongolia(1834-1835) by C. d’Ohsson, its perspectives can be divided into three perspectives: ecological perspective, regional perspective, and holistic perspective. The holistic perspective seeks to understand the Mongol Empire as a ‘whole’ rather than dividing it into regional units. Especially, since the publication of 『Mongol Imperialism』 by T. T. Allsen in 1987, efforts to understand the Mongol Empire as a ‘whole’ have been made, bearing fruit with the publication of 『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』 this time. And finally, the presenter suggested that future research in the field of exchange history and institutional history is required.

  Professor Jo Wonhee(The Academy of Korean Studies), one of the panelists, praised the publication of 『The Cambridge, History of the Mongol Empire』 as having “completed an impossible mission.” As pointed out in the discussion, the release of this book not only unveils the achievements in the history of Mongol Empire research up to this point but also reveals its limitations. Professor Biran stated, “this book includes the Marine Asia part, but we recognize its significance.” Lee Youngho, the director of the foundation, congratulated the publication of the book and expressed his hope that 『The Cambridge, History of Korea』(scheduled for 4 volumes) would be published as soon as possible.

Research on the history of the Mongol Empire in Korea and Mongolia

Section 2, held under the theme of “The Legacy of Chinggis Khaan and Mongol Empire,” was presented by five speakers. Researcher Kwon Yongchul(Institute of Northern Cultures, Dankook University) gave a presentation titled 「Recent Trends in the Study of 13th-14th Century Mongol-Great Yuan Empire History in Korean Academia」. Researcher Kwon Yongchul clearly explained that the study of Mongol-Great Yuan Empire history in Korean academia has steadily developed through the translation of historical records, the translation of foreign academic reports, interdisciplinary research, the study of its relationship with Goryeo, the development of novel topics, etc. It is evident from this that recent research in Korean academia has moved its perspective toward emphasizing Mongol’s unique natures, such as maintaining Mongolian identity and the ‘imperial institution’ in order to overcome the defect in the political interpretation of history based on the so-called popularization-oriented approach, with a growing interest in the study of northern ethnic history.

  In particular, the foundation’s publication 『Generous Conqueror, Great Yuan Empire』 is the first domestic book on the Great Yuan Empire, focusing solely on the historical substance of the Great Yuan Empire. It was written by 8 domestic researchers with various topics. This research work effectively highlights the double-sidedness of the Great Yuan Empire, revealing both ‘control’ and ‘generosity.’ Following the foundation’s planning research, 『The Moving Empire, Khitan』 and 『The Golden Empire of Warriors, Jin Dynasty』, the publication of 『Generous Conqueror, Great Yuan Empire』 can be a research achievement that comprehensively presents the national identity of the Northern ethnic groups that conquered and ruled parts of the Yuan or all of China from the perspective of Korean academia.

  Professor Ts. Enkhchimeg, in his presentation titled 「Recent Trends in the Study of Mongol Empire History in Mongolia」, pointed out that the publication of 『History of Mongolia』(volumes 1-5) in 2003 marked the beginning of the rise of the Mongol Empire history research. He also mentioned that the study of Mongol Empire history in the Mongolian academia has produced new research results in the fields of biographical studies of Khans and empresses, politics and legislation, national symbols and Tengrism, military history, foreign relations history, including many works on the relationship between the Great Yuan Empire and Goryeo, currency, trade, and its route, and various cultural studies. Likewise, the study of Mongol Empire history in the Mongolian academia is moving forward to a new stage, and based on these achievements, Mongolian academia is paying particular attention to international academic exchanges.

Researcher G. Altansukh, in his presentation titled 「Recent Achievements in the Study of the 『Secret History of the Mongolia』(2019-2023」, introduced the recent achievements in the study of the 『Secret History of the Mongolia』, an official history book published by the Khan’s court of the Great Mongolian State, which is a record produced by nomads themselves. First, he provided the details of the achievements in the study of the social structure of nomads, as well as proper nouns, including historical place names and personal names in the 『Secret History of Mongolia』. These studies, particularly the proper noun research, are expected to complement the neglected aspects of the original research on the 『Secret History of Mongolia』. As noted during the discussion which international academia’s research on the 『Secret History of Mongolia』 has accumulated significantly, it can be said that the international academic interest in the 『Secret History of Mongolia』 reflects the importance of this material. In the future, we can also anticipate comparative studies on similar literature, such as the Qing Dynasty’s 『Research of the Origin and Flow of Manchuria』 and Joseon’s 『Song of Flying Dragons Ascending to Heaven』.

  Director G. Ereksen, in his presentation titled 「Recent Achievements in the Study of the Archaeology related to the Mongol Empire」, introduced the value, necessity, and excavation results and such of archaeological sites and artifacts excavated from the Mongol Empire era. He emphasized the importance of archaeological research using actual materials in a situation where there are very few real heritage items from the Mongol Empire era and a limited amount of literature materials written from a Mongolian perspective. The Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences is leading the research on the archaeology of the Mongol Empire era and is conducting comprehensive academic projects, including the registration and database construction of archaeological sites and artifacts from the Mongol Empire era, in stages starting from this year.

  Director S. Cholong, in his presentation titled 「The Role and Position of the National Chinggis Khaan Museum in Mongolian Society」, introduced that the Chinggis Khaan Museum, established by Mongolians with Mongolian capital and Mongolian experts, has become an important educational center in Mongolia. Although nearly all the investments by the Mongolian government were halted due to COVID-19, the construction of the National Chinggis Khaan Museum was not stopped. Around 240,000 people have visited the museum since its opening, and 5% of Mongolia’s population within a year of opening. The reason that the Mongolian government has undertaken national projects like the construction of the National Chinggis Khaan Museum is not only because of the educational use of Mongol Empire heritage but also because Chinggis Khaan represents an important figure for Mongolia’s future strategy.

Future Tasks and Continuous Academic Exchange

  It is not too much to emphasize the importance of continuous meetings in academic exchanges. Thirty years have passed since the end of the Cold War, and now historical debates and cultural conflicts between countries and regions have intensified. It is essential to enable everyone to broaden their understanding and collectively seek solutions within the context of the humanistic crisis we face through continuous academic exchange. In this regard, the experience of continuous academic exchanges between Korea and Mongolia is a valuable academic asset.

  The continuous academic exchanges between the Foundation and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences have greatly helped to the understanding of Korea-Mongolia relations in both academia. In this academic conference, the participants symphathized to share their latest academic achievements and agreed the expanded mutual understanding in various ways. The participants of the academic conference confirmed that their interests extend to various areas, from the ancient Korean food wave to daily life history, where the 『Eumseonjeongyo』, a cookbook for the great Khan of Mongolia, mentions that the Goryeo’s vegetables for wrapping are mellow. For the foundation, the academic exchanges with the Mongolian academia hold special significance in the sense that they fill a gap in the field of northern history as well.