Concluding Reflections: The Art of Science Policy for 21st Century Area Studies

Abstract

The neoliberalization of the system of scientific production lays parallel to a content-driven realization for the need to overcome disciplinary boundaries, and boundaries between different socio-politically contextualized science systems. Area Studies so far have little engaged in this discussion on inter- and transdisciplinary forms of knowledge production that increasingly scrutinize the role of science and its disciplines in and for society. The conclusion reflects on what role Area Studies can and should play in a system of scientific knowledge production continuously gearing towards greater integration—across disciplinary divides, as well as across divides between different science systems and their respective epistemologies. It points out that the often-heard claim for mainstreaming Area Studies to exploit their suitability for context-sensitive research and their inherent awareness of entanglements and increasing global connectedness falls short of the actual potential of Area Studies for knowledge production after the mobility turn. Instead, and concluding the volume, the chapter argues for science policymaking for (a) analytical, emancipatory Area Studies, (b) mobile, transregional Area Studies and (c) Area Studies in and for interdisciplinarity in the twenty-first century.