A maritime response to the crisis in area studies

The area-studies model of global scholarship, based on dividing the world i nto a set number of large, quasi-continental regions, is under assault from a variety of intellectual and institutional forces. New, less rigid models of global scholarship are increasingly being called for by both scholars a nd funding agencies. One useful alternative, currently being explored at Du ke University, reframes area studies around ocean and sea basins. Putting m aritime interactions at the center of vision brings to light a set of histo rical regions that have largely remained invisible on the conventional map of the world.