Area Studies

About the subject:

Area Studies falls under the umbrella of humanities and arts. It is an interdisciplinary field that often incorporates elements of anthropology, history, sociology, cultural studies, language studies, and other humanities and social science disciplines.

It is also an interdisciplinary field of research and scholarship that focuses on the study of particular geographic regions of the world, typically with an emphasis on understanding the culture, history, politics, economics, and social issues of those regions. Rather than looking at global or universal perspectives, area studies delves deeply into specific regions, often with the aim of gaining a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the people and societies within those areas.

Basic Features of Area Studies:

As mentioned above, it adopts an interdisciplinary approach and often involves scholars from different backgrounds, such as, Anthropology, History, etc.

Focus of study is on a specific region, such as, South Asia, North America, South-East Asia, etc.

Major emphasis is given on cultural understanding of the region taken under study using the historical, geographical, and linguistic context and analysis.

It is very helpful in understanding the contemporary issues very well for further policy making.

Comparative analysis is often a part of area studies, where researchers compare and contrast different regions to gain insights into global patterns and differences.

Area studies research can have practical applications, such as informing foreign policy decisions, aiding development initiatives, or facilitating international business and trade.

Interesting information about the subject:

Area Studies as a different discipline came into existence during the World-War 2 and many different situations lead to this.

For example:

Global Conflicts

Research And Publications

Language Training

It can be noted that wars have also given us a lot in terms of understanding the Humanity in a better way and shaping it for good. The point is that the succeeding generations forget about the struggle of past and care very little to understand what Humanity truly is. They get caught up in the contemporary world and only indoctrinated stuff guides their mind.

It's important to acknowledge the human past be it golden bright or the darkest. This not only teaches us the limitations of humans but also their strengths. Learning should be the ultimate goal of every individual, for learning is what human life is all about and changing the world for good!