Dr. Alice Yao, of the University of Chicago, along with colleagues in China, will undertake research to study the impact of imperial expansion on the political economy and local environment of borderland societies. Previous scholarship on empires has focused on the integration and management of ethnic differences in the border zone through the creation of local dependencies on the central state. Enhanced agricultural production and interregional trade networks, in particular, are considered key strategies through which empires build and develop frontier zones, providing economic incentives that draw and incorporate conquered peoples. Archaeology is well placed to break new ground by focusing instead on individual nationalities, existing economic systems, and ecologies which defined the conditions and limits of imperial projects and development. Why does the implementation of imperial projects gain traction in certain frontiers but incite revolts in others? Although the term "empire" is rarely used in reference to current political entities, the underlying concept is still relevant to understanding the phenomena which confront the United States today. In regions such as Africa where multiple ethnic groups are present and their distribution often does not correspond to the borders of recognized nations, the issue of "borderlands" and and boundaries if of significance.
Dr. Yao and her research team will examine how state agricultural projects, infrastructures, and technologies were deployed on the ground and of the local actors and decisions which shaped their adoption, feasibility, and control. The research will be conducted in the Lake Dian basin of southwest China, a geographically distant but important border area in the formation of China's first empire under the Han State. At the crossroads between Chinese state and mainland Southeast Asia, the region opened up communication routes and raw resources crucial to the expansion of an imperial economy. The researcher will lead a team of archaeologists, limnologists, and environmental scientists to illuminate the region's changing cultural, ecological and land use history from the pre-conquest to imperial period. Combining excavations at ancient settlements with the extraction of lake cores, the collection of ancient occupation and environmental records will permit rigorous evaluation of changes in patterns of land use, exchange, production, and consumption over this transitional period. This interdisciplinary dataset will thus examine frontier and imperial relations as they evolved in the context of complex ecological and environment factors. The team will generate new comparative methods for the study of frontier relations while the collaborative focus of the project will also create and enhance educational and training opportunities for students.
