1、 Introduction: External and Internal Studies in Regional and Country Studies

Discussed the current development status of regional ethnology in China, especially its connection with American studies. In 2022, China will list regional studies as a first level discipline, and scholars will begin to pay attention to Asian and Asian African studies in the United States and the United Kingdom, in order to explore methods for constructing regional studies with Chinese characteristics. The origin of American studies in the United States can be traced back to literature and intellectual history, and it has now become an interdisciplinary and independent discipline that focuses on how the United States understands itself, which is different from China's main focus on studying the political and economic externalities of Sino US relations. The understanding of American studies in the Chinese academic community is still shallow, and there is a need to strengthen internal research on how target countries perceive themselves. The development of foreign language disciplines is relatively lagging behind in national and regional studies, and it is necessary to break through the limitations of research fields and increase originality. The article proposes that foreign language disciplines should utilize their advantages in foreign literature and comparative literature research, integrate multidisciplinary and multilingual resources, and promote country and regional studies with foreign language characteristics.

2、 The Rise of American Studies and Literary Path

The rise of American studies is closely related to the expansion of American imperialism and world hegemony. At the end of the 19th century, the United States developed from 13 colonies to a trans Pacific empire, and scholars began to search for political and cultural coordinates in their own historical experience to escape European influence. Turner's "borderland theory" emphasizes that the United States is a new product, gradually moving away from European influence. In the 20th century, American scholars began to systematically sort out the intellectual and cultural history of the United States, creating the "national studies" of America. In the 1930s and 1940s, American studies was established as a comprehensive discipline in American universities, and many universities established American studies departments. Early American research scholars were mainly literary critics, cultural historians, and intellectual historians. They analyzed American literature, art, and popular culture to discover cultural symbols representing American national characteristics, extract American national character, spiritual temperament, national consciousness, and ideological traditions. Literature held a central position in early American studies and was regarded as an important pathway for studying the spiritual will of the nation. Literary creation is constrained and shaped by objective historical conditions, containing the author's attitude towards the political and economic life of the time. The "Myth and Symbolism" school connects the metaphysics of literary culture with the material realities of politics, economy, and history. The significance of studying foreign literature for regional studies lies in providing us with a path to understand the target country from within, explore how the target country understands itself, and define its relationship with the world. The discipline of foreign language and literature can achieve an internal understanding of the target country by delving into its spiritual temperament, ways of thinking, and cultural traditions, rather than simply analyzing them from an external perspective.

3、 The Critical Turn of American Studies and Interdisciplinary Research Methods

Discussed the impact of the 1960s American social movements on American studies, as well as the resulting critical shift and development of interdisciplinary research methods. The new generation of scholars criticized the early American research methods as conservative and supportive of American hegemony, which promoted the rise of theories such as racial criticism and feminism. The focus of American research has shifted towards subcultures, race, gender, ecology, and third world studies, with core issues including slavery, immigration, genocide, colonialism, and imperialism. The collapse of disciplinary consensus has led to American studies no longer seeking a unified American ideology and identity, but rather engaging in knowledge archaeology criticism. Interdisciplinary practice has become a new trend in American research, with research methods expanding from literature and history to sociology, anthropology, political science, and other fields. The research objects and themes have also undergone changes. The doctoral program in American studies now includes interdisciplinary methodology courses covering methods such as historical archive research, ethnography, literary criticism, and visual cultural criticism. The concept of interdisciplinary research is finely divided into multidisciplinary, cross disciplinary, transdisciplinary, and interdisciplinary, emphasizing the emergence and resolution of new problems through cross disciplinary infiltration between different disciplines. Harvard University professor Dia Myers' book "Doing Things in the Ghostly South: Black Tourism and Memories of Slavery Since the Civil War" is an example of an interdisciplinary approach that demonstrates how to raise and answer new questions in the fusion of anthropology and history.

4、 The Cross national Turn and Cross lingual Research Methods in American Studies

After the end of the Cold War, globalization promoted the expansion of American research to a global perspective. The "Trans American Hemisphere Studies" of the early 1990s emphasized the importance of Latin American literature and culture, questioning the Anglo Saxon centered American literary canon. American studies have shifted from a national perspective to a relational perspective, focusing on the relationship between the United States and the world, deconstructing cultural essentialism. After the 9/11 attacks, American nationalism surged, and the transnational shift in American research was further promoted, focusing on the transnational flow of immigration, capital, culture, and ideas. Cross border American research reflects on the hegemony of American domestic knowledge production, emphasizing the understanding of other countries' views on the United States. Breaking the limitations of English centered research and conducting cross lingual studies, such as multilingual works by Hispanic American writers. Chinese foreign language disciplines can leverage their multilingual advantages, promote national and regional studies through cross lingual research, provide a Chinese perspective, and drive regional research collaboration.

5、 The Radical Tradition of Marxism in American Studies

Since the 1960s, American studies have undergone a shift from emphasizing American exceptionalism to criticizing American social structure and cultural hegemony, with Marxist cultural criticism theory playing an important role. Mike Denning pointed out that Marxism has had an impact on American studies on four levels: commodification, ideology, cultural and class relations, and material production and consumption of culture. The radical tradition of Marxism studied in the United States originated from the socialist left-wing movement of the 1930s and 1940s, and many founders such as Matthews were influenced by socialist thought. Although early American research was often criticized as a product of the Cold War era, this overlooked its radical Marxist tradition. The research achievements of public intellectuals and social activists such as Du Bois and James constitute the radical tradition of American studies. They explore the impact of racism on black people by studying popular culture and literature, and seek cultural and political resources to resist oppression. Cedric Robinson's theory of racial capitalism provides a historical materialist path for American researchers to understand and analyze the stubborn problem of racism in the United States, viewing racism as an ideological product and mode of exploitation under the capitalist system. However, the attention of China's foreign language discipline to Marxist theory still remains at the level of Western literary theory, and there is a lack of attention to the Marxist literary practice and ideas of ethnic minority writers and scholars. The existing research in the field of foreign languages is limited to the cultural framework, neglecting the economic foundation and historical construction of racism. Wang Shouren pointed out that foreign literature has played different roles in China's modernization process, from being a tool of political revolution to a window to view the outside world. With the influence of diaspora theory and transnationalism, the American research community has begun to pay attention to how black thinkers can draw lessons from the anti colonial struggles of Asian, African, and Latin American countries. Bill Mullen proposed the theory of African Orientalism, emphasizing that the discourse of Orientalism in African American literature in the United States aims to challenge domestic racial oppression and seek the liberation of people of color around the world. The socialist revolution and construction in China inspired the movements of African Americans and other ethnic minorities in the United States, providing inspiration and intellectual resources for their radical literary traditions. Our country's foreign language discipline should leverage China's important position in the world socialist movement, deeply explore China's ideological resources and their influence on left-wing movements in other countries, and highlight the Chinese position and perspective of Chinese scholars in Sino foreign exchanges and transnational research.

6、 Conclusion

American studies in the United States originated from cultural and historical research, influenced by social movements and cultural theories, with a radical Marxist tradition, and is interdisciplinary research. The research topic has shifted from arguing for American exceptionalism and superiority to critically examining the United States and its world hegemony. Country and regional studies should delve into the self-awareness and positioning of the target country, rather than just information gathering or political commentary. China's foreign language discipline should leverage its advantages in literary and cultural research, expand its disciplinary identity, break down language and regional barriers, enhance the openness of the disciplinary system, and adopt interdisciplinary methods. In cross-border research, it is necessary to explore China's cultural traditions, historical experiences, and ideological innovations, especially the impact of the Chinese revolution and socialist construction on the world. Taking China as the ideological coordinate, we should construct regional and national studies with Chinese characteristics, and contribute to the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.