Departing from materialist understanding of the South China Sea conflict, this paper foregrounds the role of ideas in producing the rivalry between China and the Philippines. Guided by...Show moreDeparting from materialist understanding of the South China Sea conflict, this paper foregrounds the role of ideas in producing the rivalry between China and the Philippines. Guided by constructivist theory of international relations fused with the rivalry approach to conflict, this undertaking has shown how an intersubjective and institutionalised conception of space generated the rivalry. Three ideas are identified as consequential: new cartographic ideas which promoted linearly demarcated boundaries, sovereignty as the power to exclude non-citizens, and the territorialisation of the sea.Show less
