Hermit kingdom

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The term hermit kingdom is an epithet used to refer to any country, organization or society that willfully isolate itself off, either metaphorically or physically, from the rest of the world. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is commonly cited as a prominent example of a hermit kingdom in the present day.

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Historic use: Korea

The first country to be described as a "hermit kingdom" was Korea during the Joseon dynasty, in William Elliot Griffis's 1882 book Korea: The Hermit Nation. [1] [2] Korea, which had become increasingly isolationist since the 17th century, was frequently described as a hermit kingdom until 1905, when it became a protectorate of Japan. [3]

Cold War uses

During the Cold War, Enver Hoxha's Albania was widely considered a "hermit kingdom" as it was a Stalinist regime, did not allow ordinary citizens out of the country, and pursued autarky to become entirely self-sufficient. Unlike North Korea, Hoxha's regime, after the Sino-Albanian split, refused to ally with anyone and was hostile towards the entire world, which made it more isolationist than North Korea, which was then Stalinist but was allied with other Eastern Bloc states and did not become isolationist until after the end of the Cold War. [4] [5]

Modern use

Today, the term is often applied to North Korea in news and social media, and in 2009, it was used by Hillary Clinton, then the United States Secretary of State. [6] Other current countries considered isolationist "hermit kingdoms" include Turkmenistan, [7] [8] Belarus, [9] [10] Eritrea, [11] and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. [12] Historically, the term has been applied to Nepal, [13] Ladakh, [14] and Bhutan [15] [16] in the Himalayas.

Other uses

The term "hermit kingdom" has also been used to describe Western Australia when it closed its borders during the COVID pandemic. [17]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Fischer, David H. Historians' Fallacies: Toward a Logic of Historical Thought.
  2. ↑ Wilson, Myoung Chung (2000). Korean Government Publications: An Introductory Guide. Lantham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
  3. ↑ The Obliteration of the Kingdom of Korea by Stephen Bonsal, The New York Times, July 28, 1907
  4. ↑ "Suspicious Minds – Enver Hoxha & Albania: A Cult of Capriciousness". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  5. ↑ Sakalis, Alex. "Enver Hoxha: The Lunatic Who Took Over the Asylum" . Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  6. ↑ Raddatz, Martha (February 20, 2009). "Hillary Clinton's New Approach to Diplomacy". ABC News . Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Turkmenistan: The New Hermit Kingdom". Stratfor. Retrieved 2022-11-11.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "The horse crazy leader and a hermit state 'on the edge of catastrophe'". South China Morning Post. 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  9. ↑ Landay, Jonathan (2021-06-09). "Opposition leader says Belarus has become 'North Korea of Europe'". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  10. ↑ "Belarus is becoming Europe's 'North Korea.' What can EU do about it?". Democratic Europe without Borders. 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  11. ↑ Gaffey, Conor (2017-07-15). "Eritrea: Can You Travel to Africa's Hermit Kingdom?". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  12. ↑ Ahmad, Javid; London, Douglas (2022-12-28). "The Taliban's dangerous hermit kingdom". The Hill. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  13. ↑ Ragsdale, Tod Anthony (1989). Once a Hermit Kingdom: Ethnicity, Education, and National Integration in Nepal. Manohar. ISBN   9788185054759.
  14. ↑ Ahluwalia, H. P. S. (1980). Hermit Kingdom, Ladakh. Vikas. ISBN   9780706910223.
  15. ↑ Clad, James (1990-12-20). "Nepali Influx Threatens the Hermit Kingdom". Far Eastern Economic Review. Vol. 150, no. 51. pp. 22–26.
  16. ↑ Thinley, Dasho Jigmi (1996). "Current Situation in Bhutan". In Ramakant, Ramesh Chandra Misra (ed.). Bhutan: Society and Polity. Indus Publishing. p. 218. ISBN   9788173870446.
  17. ↑ Towie, Narelle (21 January 2022). "'He has pulled the rug': Mark McGowan's backflip on Covid reopening splits WA". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
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