Join this public symposium exploring the future of East Asia Area Studies across Europe, the US and East Asia.
Area Studies training is under duress in Europe, as elsewhere. Multidisciplinary training in one region’s language, history, and politics is succumbing to the lure of concept-heavy Social Sciences disciplines, or STEM subjects. This is a by-product of diminished government funding following the end of the Cold War, changing job market demands, and the advent of AI-assisted machine learning and translation. As a result, European institutions with a strong East Asia Area Studies tradition are withering, due to decreasing student demand and broader public budget cuts.
Since stability in the Asia-Pacific is key to the interests of European, US, and regional players, the ideas industry, from think tanks to academic institutions, cannot rely solely on short-term, project-based external funding, often provided with a utilitarian angle.
This public symposium will address the following questions, with a specific focus on the relationship between IR/Strategic Studies and Area Studies, as well as other disciplines:
· How best to bridge the ivory tower with the world of practice?
· How can Europe, the US and Japan create, nurture, and pool specialised Area Studies knowledge?
· Is it possible to advocate for a renaissance of under-funded Area Studies expertise, particularly as strategic and military expertise on Taiwan, Japan, the United States, and even Chinese strategic studies, security decision-making dynamics, and regional interactions remain under-studied, yet increasingly in demand?
· What are the best (and worst) practices in academic systems across Europe, North America, and East Asia? How can these be overcome?
At the EUI and the Robert Schuman Centre, we are dedicated to removing barriers and providing equal opportunities for everyone. Please indicate in the registration form your accessibility needs, if any. Alternatively, you can contact the logistics organiser of the event.