ABSTRACT
On the one hand, globalization and the shift to contemporary policy issues4 are broadening and diversifying the traditional scope of area programs. In a changing global environment, there is a move to research that connects the global to the local, and vice versa. But, demands have also increased for research to solve specific economic or social problems. Many of the new interests relate directly to global challenges, from the use of natural resources and the environment to the problems faced by the countries of the former communist world, such as political instability and development of market economies. Many of these topics cross area and cultural boundaries and require comparative and crossnational analyses. "Similarly, ties between cultural production and identity politics have challenged scholars' ability to understand cultural phenomena within single nation-state boundaries. This is particularly true because diasporic populations (especially given their increased economic clout) form an influential new audience for cultural statements about values and identity, whether formed at home or abroad."5
