Abstract
Asia through the allegorical framework of Gulliver’s Travels. While the text is
rooted in eighteenth-century European satire, its symbolic structures provide a
conceptual lens for examining broader political traditions. By combining
literary analysis with comparative political theory, the study explores how
Swift’s fictional societies reflect key political ideas such as power, authority,
governance, legitimacy, hierarchy, conflict, and social order. The paper argues
that European political traditions are symbolically represented through
competition, institutional authority, rational governance, and ideological
conflict, whereas Asian traditions may be interpreted through hierarchical
authority, moral legitimacy, centralized power, and social harmony. The study
also acknowledges the limitations of this binary and situates its argument
within contemporary scholarship. Ultimately, it demonstrates that literary texts
can function as analytical tools for comparative political inquiry
Keywords
Political Allegory; European Political Tradition; Asian Political Tradition;
Governance
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