The connotation, origin, and development process of regional and country studies

Regional and country studies are a general term for interdisciplinary social research that focuses on specific geographic or cultural regions and provides information for foreign policy. It challenges the disciplinary boundaries of social sciences, adopts interdisciplinary methods, and reflects the geopolitical interests of major powers. Originating from the colonial expansion of European powers in the 18th century, Humboldt was one of the pioneers, emphasizing respect for other cultures. After World War II, the US government regarded it as an important academic project, and the Soviet Union also conducted similar research. Regional and country studies have gone through three stages: after World War II, the United States strengthened its research on the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc; The decolonization movement of the 1960s; Research on newly independent countries after the 1989 Eastern European upheavals. The study of regions and countries in China started relatively late and has developed rapidly since the reform and opening up, mainly focusing on developed Western countries. In recent years, it has shifted towards a balanced academic layout of multiple countries and regions.

Basic Requirements for Regional and Country Studies

Regional and country studies, as a first level discipline, pose higher requirements for researchers, including: (1) mastering multiple foreign languages to adapt to the complexity of international events in the context of globalization, obtaining more third-party information, and increasing the breadth and depth of analysis; (2) Having a multi-level research perspective, conducting three-dimensional research from micro to macro levels, such as political and economic changes in Central and Eastern European countries, the formation of sub regional cooperation organizations, and relationships with the European Union, NATO, and the United States; (3) Having higher theoretical requirements, conducting interdisciplinary and multi perspective research, and elevating personalized analysis to a level of general significance; (4) Deepen comparative research, use comparative methods to reveal causal relationships, conduct comparative studies between regions using basic concepts and theories to discover generality and specificity, and conduct theoretical analysis on different transformation paths.

The Controversy and Knowledge Production between Three Disciplines and Regional Studies

The status and role of regional and national studies in academia have always been controversial. On the one hand, scholars in disciplines such as political science believe that regional and country studies lack theoretical support and are only a simple compilation of empirical data. On the other hand, scholars in regional and country studies believe that only by deeply understanding the language, culture, and social background of specific countries and regions can cases that do not conform to the "standard model" be fully dissected. Some scholars even believe that regional and national studies can challenge disciplinary fields and generate higher-level knowledge, which is conducive to "rebuilding the theoretical building of disciplines from bottom to top".

4 Challenges and Urgent Issues Faced by Regional and Country Studies in China

China's regional and country studies face five major challenges: firstly, there is a shortage of professional talents, and it is necessary to cultivate compound talents with foreign language proficiency, professional competence, and career ambition; Secondly, the concept of regional positioning is vague, and it is necessary to clarify the connotations of "region" and "regional research"; Thirdly, cross regional and cross perspective research has become a trend, requiring innovative research methods and achieving interdisciplinary integration; The fourth is to promote interdisciplinary approaches, facilitate the transformation of knowledge structures, and enhance the explanatory power and depth of research; The fifth is to strengthen the cultivation of language proficiency, especially in non common languages, to meet the needs of cross regional research.

5 Conclusion

Since the end of World War II, the field of regional and national studies has undergone more than 70 years of development, with significant expansion and deepening of research objects, methods, and knowledge output. China's regional and country studies have been promoted by the "the Belt and Road" initiative, which has improved the diversity of disciplines and academic level. Currently, this field has numerous research institutions and personnel, accumulating rich experience. With the support of new disciplinary platforms and policies, regional and country specific research in China will usher in a new stage of development. However, researchers need to face challenges such as talent shortage, cross regional research, interdisciplinary approaches, and language development. At the same time, we should maintain an open attitude, learn from beneficial experiences, uphold the spirit of science, and abandon the mentality of self entertainment. Only in this way can China's regional and national research steadily move forward on the correct path, promote the development of disciplines, and play a role in consulting and benefiting the country. Practitioners also face dual challenges of academic and professional ethics.