We introduce the following set of essays on reformatting the relationship between area studies and geography and reflect on our individual and collective negotiation of this relationship. This leads us to revisit some key area studies’ controversies and agendas, notably strategies for comparison. Drawing on the work of Benedict Anderson and other comparatively minded scholars, we advocate staging comparisons in terms of difference/similarity, expectancy/surprise, present/past and familiarity/strangeness.
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