Abstract
In this issue, historians and political scientists focus on different world regions by analysing the
respective national situation of their fields in Great Britain, the USA, France, China, the Czech Re-
public, and Germany. Starting from different geographical focal points, the authors investigate
the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Africa, the Maghreb, and the Caucasus, as well
as the respective national research landscapes in China and Germany. As a result, an enormous
diversity of historical path dependencies can be observed, along with current social and re-
search policy frameworks. It also becomes clear that there is an ongoing discussion about the
conceptual premises under which (world) regions should be studied and where their place is
within the respective academic system. The traditional concepts and knowledge orders regard-
ing regional studies and area studies come primarily from Europe and the USA. Over the past 35
years, however, a development has taken shape through intensified debates about globaliza-
tion, transregional comparisons, and global approaches to the production of world knowledge.