Gregory Smits
Professor of history and Asian Studies at Penn State University and author of The Ryukyu Islands: A New History from the Stone Age to the Present, specializing in Ryukyuan history and related scholarship.
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Mar 30, 2026 • 1h 18min
Gregory Smits, "The Ryukyu Islands: A New History from the Stone Age to the Present" (U Chicago Press, 2026)
Gregory Smits, a Penn State professor of history and Asian Studies who has written extensively on Ryukyuan history. He explores the islands' deep past from ancient remains to modern times. He highlights archaeology overturning origin myths, the Ryukyus as a maritime trade hub, Korean and Chinese influences, tribute and taxation, and 20th-century American occupation and identity debates.
Mar 30, 2026 • 1h 18min
Gregory Smits, "The Ryukyu Islands: A New History from the Stone Age to the Present" (U Chicago Press, 2026)
Gregory Smits, a Penn State historian who specializes in Ryukyuan history, walks through 35,000 years of island life. He explores migrations and archaeological evidence. He reframes Ryukyu as part of maritime East Asia and traces the rise, transformations, and external pressures on the Ryukyu polity. He also covers modern occupation, identity, and ongoing geopolitical and environmental challenges.
