Why Area Studies? Globalization and Area Studies: When Is Too Broad Too Narrow? Subject: Theories of Area Studies Professor: LEE Kyu Young Presenter: Xiao Wei (I37027)

Think about them… Do we still need Area Studies in a globalized world? Does globalization constitute an ascendant paradigm in International Studies?

Contents Over Emphasis on Globalization & Ignoring Area Studies Causes of Ignoring Area Studies 3 Connotations of the Concept of “Area Studies” and its Value Considerations of Area Studies Why is Area Studies Necessary? Debate

Globalization International Forces More Developments in the World Hopes (finally achieve a global society) Fears (lives and jobs are threatened beyond their control)

Italy’s domestic problems Always Globalization? e.g. a lecture on government’s pension reform in Italy made by the leader of the largest federation of Italian unions Globalization Italy’s domestic problems

Strong Support for Programs of Globalization Ford Foundation & The MacArthur Foundation (1993): a joint project on globalization The Mellon Foundation: a program on cross-regional issues Social Science Research Council “… its traditional support for area studies … must be built on general theoretical frameworks that highlight global trends, such as rising levels of ethnic conflict.” ----Kenneth Prewitt (President of SSRC)

Globalization Area Studies Diminish cultural, historical and political context Diminish context of trends in particular regions Area Studies

Economist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Are international forces responsible for a growing range of domestic problems? “There is an odd sort of agreement between the left and the right to pretend that exotic global forces are at work even when the real action is prosaically domestic.” ----in International Herald Tribune Paul Krugman Economist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Example: a government’s attitude towards rising levels of unemployment Global pressures Structural problems of domestic economies

Other Reasons: The end of the Cold War cutbacks in government support for studies on Communist bloc and the 3rd world The rise of new academic paradigms devalue culturally specific knowledge in disciplines as political science and sociology Limit support for area studies while preserve teaching international studies

3 Connotations of the Concept of “Area Studies” and its Value A detailed description of a nation or region Scholars committed to the development of “portable truths” Want to produce accurate generalizations Rely on area-specific

2) Studies that build on a relatively deep and context-rich knowledge of a specific society or region to develop propositions of more general applicability Detailed descriptions of individual nations or regions Knowledge about particular regions Make more broadly applicable generalization

3) Interdisciplinary teaching or research in a program focused on a particular region Area Studies Economists politicians Sociologists Anthropologists Environmentalists historians

Considerations of Area Studies Continuing value of Area Centers 1) Influential work in social sciences generated by scholars informed by the interdisciplinary exchange that area centers facilitates Barrington Moore (1996) did at the Russian Research Center at Harvard University Benedict R. Anderson wrote at Cornell University’s Southeast Asia Program

Students and faculty members 2) The presence of area centers would seem to be a small, yet much-needed on their control over the organization of knowledge and teaching 3) Foreign visitors Students and faculty members Insights about other part of the world Direct contact with research agendas and approaches to research being developed else where in the world

4) International studies should concentrate more heavily on comparisons, not just among nations, but among regions. 5) The fate of Area Studies is especially consequential for graduate training

Why is Area Studies necessary? International Relations needs Area Studies. The international system has become so complex that a general survey of international politics can no longer cover many important problems. 2) Area Studies serves as the starting point for examining certain theoretical propositions, as opportunities for testing such propositions or even as launching points of new theoretical inquiries. 3) It is necessary to watch the world from within and outside an area.

Debate If you know about Islam and Islamic culture, do you need to study particular countries for doing the research in the field of International Relation? Dose an international issue exist which is merely related to “Globalization” rather than “Domestic Problems”? Please simply explain it. If no, why?