On April 22nd, NWU held a high-level forum on “World History and Regional Country Studies”. At the forum, Mr. Li Zhongmin, Vice Chairman of Shaanxi Provincial Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of Shaanxi Provincial Committee of Democratic National Construction Association, Mr. Wang Limin, President of Social Sciences Publishing House, Mr. Guo Lihong, President of the University, and Mr. Zhang Qing, Deputy Secretary of the University Committee Council, inaugurated the Research Institute of Regional Country Studies and School of Regional Country Studies of Northwest University.
On September 14th of 2022, the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council and the Ministry of Education issued the “Catalogue of Graduate Education Subjects (2022)”, in which regional country studies was added as a first-level discipline under the category of interdisciplinary disciplines. In order to better serve the national strategy and improve the quality of discipline construction, Northwest University, relying on its profound discipline accumulation and talent cultivation experience in the field of regional country studies, has established the Research Institute of Regional Country Studies and School of Regional Country Studies led by the Office of Social Sciences and the School of Foreign Languages respectively, aiming to focus on West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia and South Asia, forming an interconnection between the Institute and the School, promoting each other and strengthening the cross-fertilization of disciplines.
The Institute is composed of the Institute of Middle East Research, Institute of Silk Road Studies, Kazakhstan Research Center, Syria Research Center, South Asia Research Center, Research Institute of Central Asia Studies, Africa Research Center, Pakistan Research Center, Nepal Research Center, Research Institute for Shaanxi International Studies, and Research Institute for Regional Country Studies and Translation.The Research Institute of Regional Country Studies and School of Regional Country Studies will build a cross-disciplinary research platform within and outside the university, at home and abroad, focusing on major national needs and strategies, and promoting cross-disciplinary construction and social service capabilities.
