Cardboard characters, vague concerns and an old debate: Some Reflections about the Meaning of Regional Specialisation and Area Studies in Geography

Abstract

German geography currently appears to be dominated by a continuing critique of essentialist concepts of regions and an equalisation of Areas Studies with a rather naive study of world regions. This is astonishing since the idea that regions do not simply exist by themselves has long been widely acknowledged. However, this does not imply that regions do not matter anymore. Any research topic is embedded in a certain regional context the knowledge of which is crucial in order to gain a more thorough understanding of the subject. In this article, we therefore want to show that the persistent dissociation of “predefined world regions” which has become a veritable credo targets at a cardboard character. We argue that the common accusation of “regional specialists” to essentialise regions, is rather contributing to an obscure othering of Area Studies than to an active understanding of the construction of spaces. Thus, against the background of our experiences as geographers in the field of African Studies, we call for a reengagement with the central idea of regional specialisation in geography to be further enriched by recent geographical discussions on different conceptualisations of space, instead leaving the on-going revitalisation of Area Studies to other disciplines.