Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 10, 2025

The Intrinsic Logic among Regional and Country Studies, Regional History and Global History

(Abstract)

Xia Jiguo

During the 1980s and 1990s, Western academia underwent a significant intellectual shift in the fields of area studies, geography, and regional history, giving rise to research orientations such as “regional world,” “new regional geography,” and “new regional history.” These approaches converged on the understanding that “regions” are inherently diverse, fluid, and historically constructed through both internal interactions and external linkages. At the same time, global history gained prominence, moving beyond linear narratives and large-scale structural processes to explore the complexity and diversity of human interactions. In this academic atmosphere, traditional homogeneous research units—such as regions, localities, nation-states, and continents—were reconfigured into new “regions,” forming the basis for global research units. Understanding this academic context is instructive for the development of regional and country studies in China. Beyond the academic pursuit of “understanding the world,” adopting the research approach of new regional history enables a more grounded examination of the mechanisms and historical evolution of human interaction within specific regional contexts. Such research can, in turn, promote the formation of global “regions” and “countries” and contribute to building a globalized world and a community with a shared future for humanity.