On December 27, 2025, the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies (CRCAS) and the Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies (CSCOS) at the Institute of International Studies, Fudan University (IIS Fudan) jointly hosted an academic symposium titled “Eurasian Studies from an Area Studies Perspective,” commemorating the 20th anniversary of the founding of the CRCAS/CSCOS Fudan.
The symposium gathered leading scholars of China, representing institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Lanzhou University, Jilin University, Heilongjiang University, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an International Studies University, the Jiangsu Provincial Party School, and a range of Shanghai-based universities and research institutes including Fudan University, Tongji University, East China Normal University, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai Customs College, the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.
The opening session was chaired by Ma Bin, Associate Professor at CRCAS/CSCOS, with Professor Zhao Huasheng, Founding Director of the CRCAS/CSCOS Fudan, delivering welcoming remarks.
Panel I: Disciplinary Reflections on Eurasian Studies
The first panel, titled “A Disciplinary Review of Eurasian Studies,” was chaired by Professor Chang Hong, Party Secretary of the School of Politics and International Relations at Lanzhou University. Scholars from Fudan University, Shanghai International Studies University, Peking University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and others discussed the intellectual genealogy, evolving theoretical paradigms, and methodological frontiers in Eurasian studies.
Discussions emphasized the integration of area studies and strategic studies, and how Eurasian studies as a discipline has responded to major geopolitical and institutional transformations in the post-Cold War era. Speakers also examined how academic research can meaningfully contribute to national-level strategic thinking and policy innovation.
Panel II: A “Turning Point” for Eurasian Studies?
The second panel, “Is Eurasian Studies Experiencing a Turning Point?”, was chaired by Associate Professor Liu Junmei, Director of the Center for Emerging Market Economies at Fudan University. Scholars from Jilin University, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, East China Normal University, Heilongjiang University, Tsinghua University, and others contributed perspectives.
The panel explored how Eurasian studies is being reshaped by profound global transitions, including power realignments, regional reordering, and institutional diversification. Scholars examined the tension between legacy paradigms and emerging research agendas, innovations in data and methods, and the implications of real-world events such as the Ukraine conflict and the transformation of regional multilateral mechanisms.
Founded in 2005, the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies and the Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies at IIS Fudan has played a leading role in advancing the theoretical and empirical development of Eurasian studies in China. In 2017, it was designated by China’s Ministry of Education as a Research Center for China–Russia People-to-People Exchanges, and registered as a National Center for Country and Area Studies.
Link to the news in Chinese: https://iis.fudan.edu.cn/a8/54/c6840a763988/page.htm
