Island Archaeology in East Asian Perspectives

Islands have intrigued archaeologists in their distinctive cultural trajectories and

human-environmental dynamics that have still impact on modern times. Islands can

provide unique insights into several anthropological questions, including peopling,

island adaptations, landscape modifications, isolations and connections over the

oceans, and more. Research on islands’ past in East Asia has tuned into a regional

focus, rather than a broad comparative perspective that can resonate globally. A

main goal of our symposium is to create a synergy through discourse on differences

and similarities in socio-cultural, environmental trajectories in several islands

during the Anthropocene. Research areas in focus include islands spotted in the

Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and East Sea (Sea of Japan).