INTERNATIONAL STATUS RELATIONS : A STUDY OF CHINA AND JAPAN FROM THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY TO THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES.

Abstract

This thesis has two major aims. First, to map out the multifaceted nature of status relations in world politics. For this purpose, this study introduces a novel theoretical framework which distinguishes between three dimensions of status relations: foundations (whether the relations are equal or hierarchical), formal treatment (how the other side is treated in diplomatic intercourse), and perceptions (the esteem or contempt accorded to the other polity). It also develops the concept of status clusters, which are webs of status relations. The second major aim of this thesis is empirical. I will assess the usefulness of these concepts for our understanding of international status by examining them in the context of about six hundred years of Chinese and Japanese foreign relations from the fourteenth to the early twentieth centuries. By doing so, this study provides a new perspective on international relations in East Asia during this period.