Geohistorical Romance of Asia
The term ‘geohistory’ is the science that investigates, discusses and determines the influence of geographical factors on human history. Terms such as historical factors, historical forces and historical moments are sometimes mixed up. Geohistorians take also into account the sociology, economics, politicalology and anthropology of the regions under investigation. Followers of the philosophy of Structuralism (1949) in France, for example Frenand Braudel, tried hard to investigate the structure of history rather than its events. One is the structural process; the changes that can occur in it will only appear several centuries later. This long process is called geohistory. In East Asia's turbulent geopolitical landscape, the South China Sea and Taiwan issues present contrasting scenarios and reflect the deeper complexities of regional power dynamics, historical legacies, and strategic interests. The Taiwan issue, rooted in the historical and political conflict between China and Taiwan, manifests itself in the form of a delicate balance, maintained through intense diplomacy and strategic restraint. Despite occasional disagreements, both sides have shown willingness to maintain the status quo, aware of the disastrous consequences that could result. In contrast, the South China Sea presents a more volatile and unpredictable scenario. The region is characterized by multifaceted disputes involving several Asian countries and external powers such as the United States and Japan. This work tries to present another paradigm as a utopian scenario that refers to the geohistorical landscape of East Asia. As author Eric Weiner said in The Geography of Genius, "Creativity is a response to our environment." Why did Edinburgh give birth to a bunch of creative geniuses, Florence gave birth to Leonardo da Vinci, and Silicon Valley gave birth to Steve Jobs? As the humanists of Florence struggled with Classical Greek thought and the innovators of Silicon Valley embraced the future. In Java, the Majapahit region has its own geohistory. That in his time, the Majapahit kingdom, Patih Gajah Mada with his Palapa oath wanted to unite the archipelago under Majapahit. Indeed, if you look at historical studies, Majapahit's territory covered the Malay peninsula (including Malaysia and the Philippines). From these studies, it is not surprising that the cultural heritage of Indonesia and Malaysia is so similar. Moreover, the people in the archipelago are superior in the maritime sector, which makes the spread of culture from one place to another easier. Especially in this case, because Malaysia is geographically very close to Indonesia. This illustrates that history is an utopian knot of togetherness, brotherhood and peace. Like China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Historical accounts once recorded togetherness and unity during the era of resistance to Japanese colonialism. Peace remains, as a complement to the utopian geohistorical node in the East Asian region.