The Institute for the Study of Strategic Regions began to take shape in the context of the new formed Humanities Research Centers of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, as the sub-project “Area Studies. (https://hrc.ff.cuni.cz/). This interdisciplinary platform aims to support research linking the humanities and social sciences that are problem-oriented, with a special focus on the Middle East and Africa, South and Central Asia, South-East Asia and the Far East, the Caucasus and Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. The purpose of this interdisciplinary cooperation is to open new paths of knowledge adequate for understanding the contemporary world. Methodologically, the Institute reports on current trends in world science, which aim to re-evaluate the critical relationship to philological disciplines (commonly referred to in the Anglo-Saxon world as “area studies”) and unilaterally favor theoretical approaches to social sciences at the expense of empirical knowledge mediated by a particular language and culture.
The institute carries out its activities through research teams, joint scientific projects, seminars for doctoral students and masters, and activities aimed at the general public. It builds on international cooperation with similarly focused institutions in Europe (Oxford, EEGA). It supports and sponsors grant applications for interdisciplinary projects.
The institute was officially established on 16 of May, 2016 by the Rector of Charles University.