On May 12, 2024, the press conference on the release of Nanjing University Areas Studies Review, together with Forum on Area Studies, hosted by the Institute of Areas and International Studies and School of International Studies, Nanjing University, were held in Xianlin Campus. Chen Yunsong, Vice Chair of the CPC Council of Nanjing University, Zhao Jianying, CPC Committee Secretary and President of China Social Sciences Press, Cui Qiming, CPC Committee Secretary of China Foreign Affairs University, Zhai Kun, Deputy Director of the Institute of Area Studies of Peking University and member of Area Studies discipline appraisal group of Academic Degree Commission of State Council, Luo Lin, Director of the Institute of Area Studies of Peking Foreign Studies University and director of the Secretariat for Country and Regional Studies of the Ministry of Education, and Chen Jie, Director of the Institute of Area Studies of Sun Yat-sen University and Secretary General of Universities Alliance for Area Studies Talent Training and Discipline Construction attended the Press Conference. More than 30 experts and scholars from Peking University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, Sichuan University, Nanjing University and other universities. Media reporters from Chinese Social Sciences Today, Wenhui Bao, Xinhua News Agency Jiangsu Branch, among others, attended the event. Chen Donghua, Director of the Office of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanjing University, presided over the conference.
Chen Yunsong, Vice Chair of the University CPC Council, pointed out that strengthening Area Studies is an inevitable requirement for China to enter into a new stage of development, and a major strategic plan of the Party Central Committee. Under the leadership of Professor Wang Yizhou, the Institute of Area Studies, Nanjing University, has made remarkable achievements in theoretical innovation, team organization, publication development, talent training and discipline construction, and has become a leading institute in Area Studies with distinctive characteristics and influence in China. The launch of Nanjing University Areas Studies Review is an important initiative of the university to promote the theoretical innovation of Area Studies and the construction of China’s independent knowledge system. Nanjing University will continue to support the construction of the Institute of Area Studies and strive to establish the first-level discipline of Area Studies at an early date, so as to promote high-quality construction of a new type of international relations, to answer the questions of China, the world, the times and the people, and to make new and greater contributions to the construction of a powerful country and the national rejuvenation of the great cause.
On behalf of the publishing house, Mr Zhao Jianying, President of China Social Sciences Press, congratulated the inauguration of Nanjing University Areas Studies Review, believing that it is necessary to understand the world in a more comprehensive, systematic and in-depth manner, and that the world’s understanding of China and China’s understanding of the world is a two-way process. The Journal focuses on theories, tracks the progress of Area Studies in major regions and countries in the world and conducts comparative studies, collects the results and trends of relevant studies at home and abroad. It also tries to provide cross-disciplinary theories and methods integration, in effort to promote academic contention and exchanges of ideas in Area Studies. He stated that China Social Sciences Press will deepen the cooperation with Nanjing University.
Professor Zhai Kun, Deputy Director of the Institute of Area Studies of Peking University, first congratulated the launching of the Review and stressed the significance of promoting the development of Area Studies in 985 universities. Comprehensive colleges and universities as represented by Nanjing University have huge potential in cross disciplinary studies bridging humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and technologies. The next three to five years will be a period of great advancement for journals of Area Studies, which can be regarded as an independent category by establishing a independent evaluation system to constitute the knowledge base of Area Studies.
On behalf of the Secretariat for Country and Regional Studies of the Ministry of Education, Professor Luo Lin congratulated the inauguration of the Review. He pointed out that the biggest achievement in China since the establishment of Area Studies is a broad consensus being reached on the importance and necessity of Area Studies, and hoped that the journal would provide impetus for institutional reform of Area Studies journals, promote the transformation of the three major journal evaluation systems and set up a scientific evaluation system based on the characteristics of Area Studies. At the same time, he put forward three expectations for researchers, including cultivating research capabilities, constructing the reference system of research objects, and making every effort to improve their theoretical level.
On behalf of the Universities Alliance for Talent Cultivation and Discipline Construction of Area Studies, Professor Chen Jie congratulated the publication of the journal and pointed out that it set a milestone in the history of Area Studies in China, believing that Area studies in Nanjing University will surely develop vigorously and amount to a Nanda paradigm for the construction of Chinese Area Studies. The construction of academic journals in Area studies is of great significance as it cuts across the three systems of discipline system, academic system and discourse system. Nanjing University Areas Studies Review is rich in academic thoughts and focus on the theoretical frontier, which is of reference value to the development of relevant journals in the discipline.
Professor Wang Yizhou, Director of the Institute of Area Studies, Nanjing University, expressed his gratitude to all the leaders and experts for their support, and focused on “how to make our work meaningful”, pointing out that the two publications sponsored by the Institute of Area Studies, Nanjing University, are committed to reflecting the latest progress of the research on Area Studies and related thoughts, hoping to promote the formation of Area Studies with different characteristics and novelty from other traditional disciplines such as political science, economics and law, in order to make meaningful contribution to the construction of Area Studies.
Chen Yunsong, Vice Chair of the CPC Council of Nanjing University, Zhao Jianying, CPC Committee Secretary and President of China Social Sciences Press, Cui Qiming, CPC Committee Secretary of China Foreign Affairs University, and Wang Yizhou, Director of the Institute of Area Studies, Nanjing University, jointly inaugurated the official release of Nanjing University Areas Studies Review.
The panel discussion session was chaired by Professor Wang Yizhou. Professors Zhai Kun, Luo Lin, Chen Jie, Wang Jianbin, Zhou Min, Kong Fanbin and Zhu Feng gave thoughtful and practical answers to the questions raised by reporters, teachers and students concerning the disciplinary design of Area Studies, the direction of the construction of the discipline, the strengths and available resources of the city of Nanjing, multi-ethnic considerations, the interaction between Area Studies and its supporting disciplines, as well as methodological innovation.
The sub-forum on “Area Studies from a Comparative Perspective” was chaired by Chen Jie, Director of the Institute of Area Studies, Sun Yat-sen University. Zhang Yang, Professor of the School of History, Zhejiang University, raised the issue of the driving force of the continuous development of Area Studies, pointing out that Area Studies in the United States is experiencing an exhaustion of the driving force and in the process of finding new directions. Pan Nini, Associate Professor of the Department of Journalism, School of Communication at East China Normal University, examined Japanese Area Studies through the important factor of “non-politicality”, and believed it has brought about methodological innovations in Japan. Mr Zong Huawei, Consultant of the Secretariat of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO of the Ministry of Education, pointed out that the development of the unique concept of “cultural regionalism” in France was influenced by the country’s historical traditions, international perspectives, national strategic needs and international funding. Fang Tingting, Associate Professor of the School of International Studies, Nanjing University, analyzed the origin, current situation and characteristics of the development of Sinology in Russia, pointing out that the emergence and development of Sinology in Russia is closely related to the process of Russia’s outward exploration. Wei Han, Assistant Researcher of the School of International Studies, Nanjing University, examined India’s Area Studies from the perspective of colonialism, and argued that the colonial experience has had a profound impact on India's Area Studies and consciousness. Li Tu, Assistant Researcher of the School of International Studies, Nanjing University, analyzed the inception, boom and bust, as well as the crisis and revitalization of Southeast Asian studies in the United States, pointing out that Southeast Asian studies in the United States have been independent of national strategy and foreign policy studies since the 1990s.
The sub-forum on “Regional Studies in China” was chaired by Professor Zhang Jiadong, Director of the Centre for South Asian Studies, Fudan University. Ambassador Cui Qiming, CPC Committee Secretary of China Foreign Affairs University, pointed out that Belarus belongs to the research category of “new regions” and “new countries”, and that Belarusian studies in China should adhere to the Chinese characteristics, emphasize both academic research and policy practice, innovate the research methods and diversify research evaluation. Chen Bo, Director of the Institute of Anthropology, Sichuan University, emphasized the necessity to understand the self-other relationship in a dialectical manner, and proposed the path of using the achievements of China's ancient civilization to study the world, in order to realize the mutual appreciation of civilizations. Xu Liang, Associate Professor of School of International Studies, Peking University, pointed out that African mineral exploitation gave birth to modern world history, and the rapid development of China-Africa mining co-operation in the 21st century provides Chinese scholars with a historical opportunity to promote research on related topics. Yu Qun, Director of the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, School of Foreign Languages, National University of Defense Technology, reviewed the history of Thai studies in China, and pointed out that there are problems such as lack of in-depth research, insufficient inter-disciplinary research, the need to strengthen basic research, and insufficient talent training. Wang Wanlu, Assistant Researcher of the School of International Studies, Nanjing University, pointed out that the differences in China’s identity in different period have determined the paths, contents, paradigms and topics of China’s Area Studies accordingly.
The sub-forum on “Area Studies of China’s Neighborhood” was chaired by Zhao Guangrui, Director of the Department of International Politics, School of International Studies, Nanjing University. Kong Fanbin, Dean of the School of Government, Nanjing University, pointed out that the two main functions of social sciences are prediction and control, and hoped that Area Studies would alter the shortcomings of traditional Chinese social sciences of not “forward-looking” and form a unique research perspective. According to Zheng Xianwu, Deputy Director of the Institute of International Studies, Nanjing University, Southeast Asian studies in China have shown three new trends: diversification and internationalization of the research agenda, theorization and standardization of the research perspective, and rejuvenation and cross-disciplinary of the research team. Lu Xuehua, Director of the Translation Interdisciplinary Research Base at Yanbian University, pointed out that internal and external integration has become a new paradigm for Northeast Asian strategic research, and emphasized that Area Studies can give a new impetus to China’s Northeast Asian studies. Jin Lei, Assistant Researcher of the Institute of International Studies and the Institute of Area Studies, Yunnan University, strengthened that the inclusion of the Southwest Frontier into the vision of Area Studies is conducive to knowledge innovation, and that Ecological Area Studies contains rich research potential. Li Lingqun, Associate Professor of the School of International Studies, Nanjing University, pointed out that the South China Sea issue is characterized by distinctive problem orientation, regional practice and multi-disciplinary participation. As a result, Area Studies can provide a new starting point and doctrinal basis for the South China Sea studies. Zhou Wenxing, Assistant Researcher of the School of International Studies, Nanjing University, analyzed the current situation and trend of Taiwan-related research in mainland China, and concluded that the hotspots and focuses of the research are closely related to the degree of tension in cross-strait relations.
Against the background of the quick unfolding of profound changes unseen in a century and the increasingly complex international environment, it is in line with China’s urgent strategic need to strengthen Area Studies. The Institute of Area Studies at Nanjing University insists on the combination of basic research and think tank construction, promotes the construction of Area Studies as a first-level discipline and talent training by carrying out doctrinal discussions and forward-looking research on key countries, key regions and key issues, with a vision of forming a Nanda paradigm of Area Studies. The quarterly Nanjing University Areas Studies Review is edited by Professor Wang Yizhou and published by China Social Sciences Press. Its purpose is to focus on the theories of Area Studies, serve the national strategy, study the predecessor journals, to carry out continuous exploration around basic theories, methodologies and international comparative studies. It not only promotes academic debates and exchange of ideas in Area Studies, but also contributes Nanjing University’s wisdom to the innovation of theoretical research in Area Studies and the construction of Chinese independent knowledge system. (Text / Wang Wanlu; Translate/ Bao Yiwen)
