創刊の言葉

Abstract

We are now at the threshold of the 21st century, in an era that is distinct in many ways from other periods in human history. The world is in the midst of globalization in terms of economy and information flow. More than ever, we need to tackle various serious problems and issues on a global scale, such as environmental problems, the disparity in North-South relations, the food-population crisis, and the energy-resource problems. In this post-Cold War era, ethnic conflicts and regionalism are once again in ascendance. These conflicts are basically local and localized expressions of collisions between tradition and modernization, regionalism and globalization. Yet we have so far failed to come up with a new paradigm that will allow the coexistence of these divergent forces (ecology vs. development, local vs. global) working at cross-purposes. The problems mentioned above are most salient in developing areas, above all tropical and semi-tropical Asia and Africa. These are areas with their own distinct histories and cultures molded out of their environments and through interactions with the surrounding areas. However, they are now at an important historical turning point due to the recent rapid globalization. It is no exaggeration to say that what happens in Asia and Africa in the next decade or so will greatly influence the shape of the world order that will prevail in the 21st century. At this particular historical juncture, we, the members of the spaceship earth, must contribute both as citizens and scholars to the establishment of a new world order in which sustainable development, self-reliance and coexistence of different areas of the world, including Asia and Africa, are realized. It is with the above ideal in mind that we launch Asian and African Area Studies. We call for papers, research notes and essays that will contribute to developing a new paradigm for the coexistence of various areas in the world in the 21st century. We look forward to fruitful cooperation with students of Asian and African area studies from all over the world.