scholarly journals Bradford Colin, I., Jr. (Ed.), Europe and Latin America in theWorld Economy. New Haven (Conn.), Yale Center for International and Area Studies, 1985, 139 p.

1987 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 866
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Barot
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
New Haven ◽  
Area Studies

The West and the Tropics of Area Studies

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 19-31
Author(s):  
Naoki Sakai
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
International Law ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Colonial Power ◽  
The West ◽  
Area Studies ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Tropics

Both Asia and Latin America are regarded as areas in the disciplines of area studies. What must be called into question is the assumption that these areas are primarily geographic designations. This paper investigates in what sense the “area” of area studies connotes a geographic location and how it is differentiated from other terms such as territory. It discusses the history of the modern international world in which the world has been bifurcated into the West, where a system of international law has been applied, and the Rest, where residents have not been protected by international law. Both Asia and Latin America are designations that preserve the legacy of modern colonialism: both are geographic indices for the regions and populations to be “discovered” and posited from the viewpoint of the West. In this respect, Asia and Latin America as “areas” still preserve the microphysics of modern colonial power in their geopolitical referentiality.

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