Performing Homeric islands: Homeric receptions in (post-)Hellenistic Asia

Abstract

This article presents critical interpretations of the Sophytos inscription in comparison with the K-pop song ‘Sugar Rush Ride’ within the context of the cultural politics of sugar production in modern colonialism. It posits that both pieces individually engage with discreet episodes concerning Homeric islands in the Odyssey: Odysseus’ lying about his Cretan background in book 14 and the lotus-eating story in book 9. Meanwhile, both refer to the Phaeacian episode in book 8. In doing so, this article not only underscores the significance of this Homeric epic as a rich mine from which people across different time periods and geographic areas (such as Kandahar and Korea) draw inspiration, but also contributes to a re-evaluation of the epistemic foundation of research on Hellenistic Central Asia and its legacy.