Study of the more-than-human state : geopolitical ecologies of the inter-Korean borderlands

Abstract

This dissertation reconceptualizes state–nature relations in East Asia through a more-than-human perspective, focusing on the inter-Korean borderlands. Moving beyond views of the state as simply territorializing nature, it argues that nonhuman agents actively participate in shaping state formation, territoriality, and biosecurity. It develops the concepts of more-than-human territoriality and more-than-human biosecurity through three cases: wildfires, pine wilt disease, and malaria-carrying mosquitoes in and around the DMZ. Across these cases, nonhuman mobility, habitats, and surveillance or detection systems interact with border infrastructures, producing flexible and dynamic territorial practices. The dissertation thus theorizes the more-than-human state and shows that borders are not fixed lines but geo-biopolitical assemblages. Methodologically, it adopts a hybrid political ecology approach combining archival, legal, technical, interview, public health, and geospatial materials.