Paper short abstract:

This presentation relies on the experiences and approaches of two research projects sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, namely: The project „The Americas as Space of Entanglement“ hosted at the Center for InterAmerican Studies (CIAS) at Bielefeld University and the Research Network „Ethnicity, Citizenship, and Belonging in Latin America“ organized by the Universities of Köln, Bonn, Münster, Hannover and Bielefeld.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation relies on the experiences and approaches of two research projects sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, namely: The project „The Americas as Space of Entanglement“ hosted at the the Center for InterAmerican Studies (CIAS) at Bielefeld University and the Research Network „Ethnicity, Citizenship, and Belonging in Latin America“ organized by the Universities of Köln, Bonn, Münster, Hannover and Bielefeld.

In this talk I would like to present some elements for a re-thinking, or un-thinking, of traditional area studies. In doing so I explore the the following complementary questions: How do hemispheric spaces of entanglements come to be within transversal (i.e. translocal, transnational and transregional) dynamics? And how are these entangled spaces increasingly becoming a central framework for socio-cultural, economic, political and environmental action?

In order to illustrate the approach I rely basically on examples related to new conceptualizations and dynamics in regard to ethnicity, citizenship and belonging.

After this re-thinking of area studies I point out some ideas for a translation of academic ideas into other area of practice, such as the field of education.