Does Area Studies Need Theory? Revisiting the Debate on the Future of Area Studies

Abstract

The puzzle of whether or not Area Studies needs its own theories to progress as a social science is as old as the discipline itself. The question has been revisited several times throughout the evolution of the field, most apparent in the “area scholars vs. universalists” debate. This paper argues that area studies does not need its own specific theories per se. As an amalgamation of several social science disciplines, area studies is already well positioned to advance scientific knowledge. More attention should instead be focused on how to move from a multidisciplinary to a transdisciplinary approach, with the ultimate goal of achieving “area science.” Recently renewed interest in the subfield of comparative area studies can provide a path forward. Such foundations will enable area studies to contribute to theory building in other social science subjects while also garnering respect for itself as an academic discipline. Otherwise, area studies could become a rudderless scholastic blackhole that is neither systematic nor standardized. What is at stake in this puzzle, therefore, is the very future of area studies itself.