Youth Reflections: Comparative Reading and Experiences of Introductory Materials for Regional and Country Studies (Wang Huihui)

Comparative Reading and Experiences of Regional Country Studies Introductory Materials

Author/Wang Huihui

Trainees of the 13th Grand Diplomacy Youth Development and Practice Sailing Project Class

Studied at the School of Japanese Culture and Economics, Shanghai Foreign Language and Chinese University

Source: Grand Diplomacy Youth Think Tank (GDYT)

Editor's note: This article is a reflection on the study and practice of the 13th Grand Diplomacy Youth Development and Practice Navigation Project Class of the Grand Diplomacy Youth Think Tank (GDYT).

1. Regional and country research directions

Regional and country studies are the study of other countries and extraterritorial regions, which does not belong to a specific discipline, but is a joint effort of multiple disciplines. Each discipline has its own perspective on a certain region or country, but there is an urgent need for a disciplinary perspective to integrate various disciplines, which is the topic direction of regional and country studies. Moreover, the theoretical experience abstracted from each region can also be applied to other regions, which is the theory of regional country studies.

Regional and country studies are regional, comprehensive, interdisciplinary, local and empirical.

Regionality: Regional and country studies have a clear geographical scope, with specific regions and specific countries as the research objects.

Comprehensiveness: Regional and country studies attempt to conduct comprehensive research on specific regions and countries, sort out a complete knowledge pedigree through research, and construct an overall epistemology.

Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary: The scope of regional and country studies covers the social, economic, political, historical, cultural, natural, resource, folklore, military, diplomatic, linguistic, religious and other aspects of a country or a region.

Local and experiential: The researcher must live and work in the target country or region for a certain period of time, and research cannot be done without local life experience and field trips.

The importance of regional country studies lies not only in the in-depth understanding of specific regions or countries, but also in providing strong knowledge support for global governance and international cooperation. Through comparative studies of different regions and countries, we can discover the commonalities and differences between different cultural, political and economic systems, and provide more options and references for the international community. At the same time, regional country studies can also help promote mutual learning among countries, promote cultural exchanges and friendship between peoples, and contribute wisdom and strength to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In the context of globalization, the significance of regional country studies has become more prominent. As the interdependence of countries deepens, so does the need for regional cooperation and global governance. Regional and country studies are providing comprehensive, in-depth and professional knowledge and insights to help governments and international organizations better understand and respond to complex regional and international situations, and promote world peace, stability and development. Therefore, we should strengthen investment and support for regional and country studies, promote their continuous development and improvement, and make greater contributions to building a more harmonious world.

2. History and trends of regional and national development

China's regional and country studies started early, and the process is tortuous, which is closely related to the fate of the whole country. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, China's regional country studies have undergone a tortuous evolution. China's regional country studies began in the 60s of the 20th century, when Premier Zhou Enlai presided over a conference on strengthening international studies for the sake of diplomatic work, and after the meeting, the Central Foreign Affairs Working Group drafted the Report on Strengthening Foreign Studies. After the reform and opening up, China's regional and country studies have achieved restorative development and entered the "second phase of development". In the 21st century, with the increasing number of China's foreign exchange activities, the demand for regional country studies has become increasingly prominent. Regional and country studies have been included in the "interdisdisciplinary" category of the national discipline catalogue and have been institutionally guaranteed.

Today, China has made great progress in regional and country studies. From the initial basic research, a relatively complete research system has been formed, covering politics, economy, culture, society and other fields. Various research institutions and scholars have actively participated in it, providing solid academic support for China's performance in the international arena. Especially in the context of globalization, China's regional country studies are of greater strategic significance. Through in-depth study of the political, economic, and cultural characteristics of each country and region, China can better understand and respond to external challenges and safeguard its own interests. At the same time, it also provides important support for promoting international exchanges and cooperation and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In the future, China's regional and country studies will continue to deepen, further expand the research fields, and continue to innovate research methods. It is believed that in the near future, China's regional and country studies will make more brilliant achievements, and contribute more wisdom and strength to China's international status and global governance.

The uniqueness of regional country studies lies in the interdisciplinary nature of "holographic" research on specific countries or regions from multiple disciplines. One of the major shortcomings of international studies is that they have a single perspective and are fragmented in disciplines.

To promote regional country research, it is necessary to integrate basic discipline resources, involving the research structure and organization of universities. Promote the reorganization of basic resources for regional country studies in universities, and actively guide the combination of regional country studies with more general theoretical issues, so as to move towards "regional country studies with a sense of discipline".

Regional and country studies require multidisciplinary, "deep-rooted" and "integrated", which puts forward relatively high requirements for researchers. To achieve the "seamless connection" between discipline-oriented international relations research and problem-oriented regional and country studies, how to do a good job in talent training.

3. Background and purpose of regional and national talent training

Talent development plays a crucial role in regional country studies. Regional country studies involve in-depth research on the political, economic, cultural, social and other aspects of a specific region or country, which requires extensive knowledge and in-depth analytical skills. Therefore, the development of human resources with these competencies has become a key part of regional country studies.

In order to conduct regional and country studies effectively, we need to develop human resources with interdisciplinary backgrounds. These talents need not only solid expertise, but also a flexible mindset and a broad perspective. They should be able to apply theories and methods from different disciplines to conduct in-depth analysis and research on a particular region or country, and to come up with innovative and practical insights and recommendations.

In order to achieve this goal, we need to establish a sound talent development mechanism. This includes providing abundant educational resources, establishing a diversified teaching model, encouraging students to participate in practical activities and research projects, and providing necessary career guidance and employment support. Through these measures, we can cultivate more talents with professional quality and practical ability, and provide a strong talent guarantee for regional and country studies.

In short, talent development is the core of regional and country studies. Only by continuously strengthening the cultivation of talents can we promote the in-depth development of regional and country studies and make greater contributions to the development of countries and regions.

Regional and country studies require many teams to complement each other's strengths. It is impossible for any individual scholar to have all the relevant knowledge of the region or country that is the subject of research, so regional and country studies need to have many teams to complement each other's strengths. Teamwork in regional and country studies is essential. Each team can conduct in-depth research on their own areas of expertise, and integrate their research results through communication and cooperation to form a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding. This collaborative approach not only improves research efficiency, but also promotes the sharing and dissemination of knowledge and promotes the development of the entire subject area. At the same time, teamwork is also an important way to train young scholars. In the team, young scholars can have access to more research resources and experience, and continuously improve their research capabilities and levels through exchanges and cooperation with senior scholars. This team spirit and atmosphere is also one of the important driving forces for the continuous development of regional and country studies.

Regional and country studies are comprehensive tasks that require dual roles as researchers.

First, they must become experts in a particular region or country, which means they need to have an in-depth understanding of the region's historical, cultural, political, economic, and social contexts, among other things. By delving into these aspects, they will be able to accurately grasp the uniqueness and importance of the region or country.

Secondly, the researcher also needs to be a scholar in a certain discipline with a solid disciplinary foundation and professional knowledge. Whether it is history, political science, economics or sociology, researchers need to master the corresponding research methods and theoretical frameworks. In this way, they will be able to carry out in-depth analysis and interpretation of regional or country-specific issues, and to provide insightful perspectives and insights.

However, in the field of regional and country studies, without appropriate integration, researchers can easily fall into a phenomenon of one-sided emphasis on the characteristics of the target country and region. They may focus too much on the uniqueness of a particular region or country and neglect the connection and comparison with other regions or countries. In this case, there may be competition among researchers for limited material and human resources, resulting in wasted resources and inefficiencies. In order to avoid this situation, researchers should strengthen interdisciplinary and cross-regional cooperation and exchange. They can promote the exchange and integration between different disciplines and regions by participating in academic conferences, organizing research teams, and carrying out collaborative projects. In this way, they can not only share resources and information, but also learn from and inspire each other to jointly promote the development of regional and country studies.

As an interdisciplinary field, regional and country studies needs to cultivate a variety of talents, including generalists and "miscellaneous scholars", as well as experts and craftsmen. Both types of talent play an integral role in research, but their responsibilities and positioning differ. Generalists, or "miscellaneous", are those who have a broad knowledge background and interdisciplinary abilities. They are often able to think and communicate across different disciplines, with a holistic and integrated perspective. In regional and country studies, the role of generalists is to be able to grasp the development context and overall trends of a region or country at the macro level, and to provide comprehensive background analysis and strategic recommendations for decision-making. An expert, or "craftsman", is a person who has deep expertise and practical experience in a particular field. They usually have in-depth research and unique insights in a certain field, and can provide professional analysis and solutions. In regional and country studies, the role of experts is to be able to dig deep into the nature and laws of a particular problem or phenomenon at the micro level, and provide scientific basis and feasible operation plans for decision-making.

Although generalists and specialists are indispensable in regional and country studies, there is a clear distinction between the two. Generalists are more focused on the overall situation and comprehensiveness, emphasizing interdisciplinary thinking and understanding of multicultural backgrounds, while experts are more focused on professionalism and in-depth, emphasizing the accumulation of research and practical experience in a certain field. This distinction may lead to different views and perceptions and even contradictions between the two in the course of research.

Therefore, in regional and country studies, it is necessary to balance the relationship between generalists and experts, give full play to the advantages of both, and promote the exchange and integration of different perspectives and perspectives. Only in this way can we better promote the development of regional and country studies and provide comprehensive, scientific and feasible suggestions for relevant decision-making.

4. Theories and Methods of Regional and Country Studies

Traditional regional and country studies are largely based on a humanities approach, which is characterized by in-depth fieldwork based on language training in the target region and country, a strong emphasis on the history of the target region or country, and the collection and interpretation of indigenous sources, and a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary approach. After World War II, especially in recent decades, regional and country studies have increasingly tended to use the methods of social sciences such as political science, economics and sociology, in an attempt to construct an analytical framework for regional and country studies by means of theoretical analysis, comparative methods, and even quantitative methods. The debate over the methodology of regional and country studies largely reflects the debate over deductive and inductive logic, universalism and particularism.

Weber's concept of the ideal type is of reference for the approach of combining the humanistic and social science approaches of regional and country studies. Professor Zou Yan has made a wonderful summary of the path of using social science methods to conduct case studies: "case studies with theoretical background and theoretical relevance". For China's regional and country studies, Professor Zou Yan's summary has two implications. On the one hand, social science methods can provide valuable contributions, and on the other hand, the application of social science methods to regional and national issues cannot replace traditional humanities studies.

The promotion and development of regional country studies is not entirely the result of academic service to foreign policy, but has the internal logic of social science knowledge accumulation and discipline development, which reflects people's strong desire to explore the external world, which is a process of academic exploration. However, many studies have long stayed in the initial stage of historical or current situation description, and lack academic awareness and theoretical thinking, which has limited the extensibility of regional country studies to a large extent. As a result, research around a particular region or country is often detached from the mainstream of international research, and is fragmented into a narrow academic circle with regional boundaries as the boundary, often setting itself limits, which greatly limits the possibility of academic exchange, mutual reference and theoretical innovation.

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