[Abstract]Regional ethnology focuses on the overall characteristics, politics, economy, ethnic religion, social development, history and culture, and foreign relations of specific countries and regions, and pays attention to the strategic, policy, and comprehensive issues in national conditions and regional conditions. It is a "study of great powers" and a study of strengthening the country by going from region to the world, observing the world situation in depth, and building its own strategy. The regional ethnology with China characteristics in the new era not only answers the new questions raised by the development of China and serves the needs of the development of China countries, but also adapts to the development and changes of the world and better answers the questions of the world and the times. From the historical logic, the establishment of regional ethnology accords with dialectical materialism and historical materialism’s understanding of the law of human social development; From the perspective of theoretical logic, the supreme leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era shines with the light of Marxist truth, which is rich in connotation, profound and systematic, and provides a fundamental follow-up for the discipline construction of regional ethnology; From the perspective of practical logic, regional ethnology has far-reaching significance of the times and the world, and is an important path and driving force for building a community of human destiny. To build a regional ethnology with China characteristics in the new era, we should thoroughly study and implement the Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era, work hard and take responsibility; Focus on practical characteristics, focus on the center and serve the overall situation; With the mind of "the country is the biggest", we should think about problems and do things from the overall height, persist in thinking about the world and establishing a world vision, make a good first move in the discipline construction of regional ethnology, and master the initiative to cope with the changes of the times, the world and history.
In September, 2022, regional ethnology was officially listed in the new discipline catalogue and became the first-class discipline under the interdisciplinary category. This move is an important milestone in the development history of humanities and social sciences in China, which not only provides a clear direction for discipline construction, but also opens up a new horizon for promoting the innovation and development of social sciences in China. The establishment of regional ethnology is a profound response of Chinese academic circles to the complex changes in the era of globalization, a product of the combination of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theory and practice in the new era, and a close connection between academic development and the needs of the times. As a new interdisciplinary subject, regional ethnology meets the needs of the development of the times. Its appearance is not only a change in the classification of disciplines, but also a profound reflection of the demand for interdisciplinary and compound research under the background of increasingly complex global political situation and international academic trends.
The establishment of regional ethnology means that China has taken the initiative to build a brand-new discipline vision in the world political, economic and cultural exchanges, which not only helps to enhance the theoretical understanding of globalization and regionalization, but also provides an important platform for cooperation between China and Industry-University-Research. Under the background of the coexistence of globalization and anti-globalization, and the interweaving of traditional security and non-traditional security threats, the birth of regional ethnology provides an important theoretical tool for us to understand the world, the uniqueness and development trend of different regions.
Regional ethnology is the need of big countries and the needs of the times. However, in the early stage of discipline construction, some scholars pointed out that the theoretical framework and research objects of regional ethnology have not been fully defined, and some even questioned whether it has the status of an independent discipline. Some people think that regional ethnology is highly coincident with international politics, international relations and other disciplines in some research fields, and its discipline independence has not been fully reflected. This kind of questioning is essentially a misunderstanding of the nature of interdisciplinary subjects. The uniqueness of interdisciplinary is that it is not a simple superposition of traditional disciplines, but an organic integration and innovation of interdisciplinary knowledge systems. It often opens up new research fields at the intersection of multiple disciplines and forms a brand-new research method and theoretical framework.
First, historical logic: the establishment of regional ethnology conforms to dialectical materialism and historical materialism’s understanding of the law of human social development.
(A) the historical breakthrough and limitations of Feuerbach’s materialism
Feuerbach believes that the key to realizing the unity of subject and object in social history is "realistic man and realistic human". Feuerbach restores what Hegel’s abstract speculation expresses to real existence and replaces Hegel’s absolute spirit with "realistic man and realistic human". Feuerbach, starting from realistic people, brought people back to the perceptual world from the rational world. Marx said: "Feuerbach attributed the absolute spirit of metaphysics to’ realistic man based on nature’, thus completing the criticism of religion." Feuerbach regards realistic people as the basis of his materialism and tries to lead his materialism to the field of social life, which is a breakthrough and transcendence of Feuerbach’s materialism to modern natural science materialism.
Feuerbach’s materialism, like the old materialism, still talks about problems in abstractness in ontology, and regards the world as two entities: nature and man. Man is actually restricted by the sum of social relations. Feuerbach does not understand the subjective role of man in the historical development from nature to society. In the final analysis, it is because he does not understand that social life is practical in essence, so Engels said that Feuerbach’s materialism is "half-baked" materialism. Feuerbach’s limitation is that "he doesn’t see that the perceptual world around him is by no means something that has existed directly and consistently since the beginning of the world, but a product of industrial and social conditions, a product of history and the result of generations of activities".
(B) Marx’s dialectical materialism and historical materialism critically inherited and developed Feuerbach’s materialism and Hegel’s dialectics.
Marx agreed with Feuerbach’s basic position on materialism, but criticized him for ignoring the sociality and historicity of human activities. Marx pointed out that human beings are not only a part of nature, but also created history and culture through labor and social interaction. Therefore, Marx’s materialism not only recognizes the existence of nature, but also emphasizes the dynamic role of human practical activities in shaping themselves and the world around them. At the same time, Marx reversed Hegel’s dialectics and transferred it from the mysterious spiritual realm to the concrete material world, emphasizing that social existence determines social consciousness. He kept Hegel’s viewpoint on the movement of contradictions within things, and paid more attention to how these contradictions were solved through social practice.
To sum up, Marx put forward dialectical materialism and historical materialism through the materialistic transformation of Hegel’s dialectics and the dynamic supplement of Feuerbach’s static materialism, which constitute the core of Marxist philosophy and are used to explain the development law of nature, human society and human thinking. Dialectical materialism is a kind of world outlook and methodology, which holds that the world is made up of matter, and matter is in constant change and development. This change and development is achieved through the movement of contradictions within things. According to the principle of dialectics, everything contains two aspects of the unity of opposites, and the struggle between these two aspects has promoted the development of things. Dialectical materialism emphasizes the importance of practice, holds that practice is the basis of understanding and the standard of testing truth, and advocates the combination of theory and practice.
Historical materialism is the result of Marx’s research on the development law of human society, and it is a theory about the evolution of social forms. Historical materialism points out that the development of productive forces determines the relations of production, and the sum of the relations of production constitutes the economic foundation of society; Superstructure (including state power, legal system, ideology, etc.) is built on this economic foundation. Historical materialism holds that the fundamental driving force of social change comes from the contradictory movement between productive forces and production relations. When the relations of production no longer adapt to the development of productive forces, it will trigger a social revolution, thus establishing new relations of production and social forms.
（三）最高领袖新时代中国特色社会主义思想创新发展了辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义
新时代以来，以最高领袖同志为核心的党中央统筹中华民族伟大复兴战略全局和世界百年未有之大变局，深刻认识我国社会主要矛盾变化带来的新特征新要求，深刻认识错综复杂的国际环境带来的新矛盾新挑战，创立了最高领袖新时代中国特色社会主义思想。它是对马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想、邓小平理论、“三个代表”重要思想、科学发展观的继承和发展，是马克思主义中国化的最新成果，是党和人民实践经验和集体智慧的结晶。最高领袖新时代中国特色社会主义思想是当代中国马克思主义、二十一世纪马克思主义，是中华文化和中国精神的时代精华，实现了马克思主义中国化新的飞跃。
The development of regional ethnology is carried out under the guidance of Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought of the Supreme Leader in the new era. The construction of this discipline actively responds to the strategic needs of the country, aiming at establishing corresponding intellectual support and knowledge reserves through the investigation of other regions and people in the world, so as to help China better participate in international affairs and effectively safeguard its core rights and interests. At the same time, it also embodies the expansion and deepening of the understanding of the wholeness of all mankind, attaches importance to the combination of historical tradition and social reality, comprehensively applies social science methods and humanities research methods, and emphasizes the coordinated development with related disciplines. Since Socialism with Chinese characteristics entered a new era, with the continuous promotion of the "One Belt and One Road" initiative and the concept of a community of human destiny, China’s regional ethnology has developed rapidly, and its disciplinary development has continued to deepen, eventually becoming an independent first-class discipline; With the continuous improvement of the overall theoretical level, scholars have shown a series of consensus in their research, which is different from that of foreign regional research, and the research paradigm process is beginning to take shape; A number of concepts and discourses with China characteristics have been created and introduced into the study of regional ethnology, and the process of discourse expression "China" has been accelerating.
As an interdisciplinary subject, regional ethnology not only bears the task of serving the national strategy, but also shoulders the important mission of building a new field with China characteristics and meeting the needs of the times. It is committed to forming a new academic growth point on the basis of mutual penetration and integration of various disciplines, and providing theoretical support and practical guidance for the development of China and the global society. Regional ethnology trains professionals through education, improves their ability and level of serving the cause of the party and the country, and at the same time promotes the exchange and understanding between different cultures, contributing to the realization of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Second, the theoretical logic: The Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era provides a fundamental basis for the development of regional ethnology.
The Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era adheres to the basic principles of Marxism, profoundly sums up and makes full use of the historical experience of the Party’s century-long struggle, inherits and carries forward China’s excellent traditional culture, enriches and develops Marxism with brand-new ideological content according to the development and changes of the times and practice, and forms a systematic and scientific theoretical system.
(A) the internal unity of theory and practice
General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out that Marx has repeatedly warned people that Marxist theory is not a dogma, but a guide to action and must develop with the changes in practice. A history of Marxist development is a history in which Marx, Engels and their successors constantly develop according to the times, practice and understanding, and it is a history in which all outstanding ideological and cultural achievements in human history are constantly absorbed to enrich themselves.
As a contemporary China Marxism and a 21st century Marxism, Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought, the supreme leader in the new era, adheres to the organic unity of scientificity and practicality of Marxism, and profoundly answers a series of major issues of the times related to the development of the cause of the party and the country and the governance of the party from the combination of theory and practice. It is a powerful ideological weapon that has been tested by practice and is full of practical power, and runs through a strong sense of problems and a clear practical orientation. This thought not only follows the law of social development, but also conforms to China’s goal of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is based on the research and summary of the law of human historical development, and also focuses on the specific national conditions and development needs of China. This idea has a strong problem consciousness, always pays attention to and responds to new situations and new problems that appear in reality, and makes theoretical innovation based on this, so as to ensure that theory can effectively guide practice and promote social development.
Regional ethnology is an interdisciplinary subject, which not only absorbs the knowledge of traditional international relations theory, comparative politics, economics and other disciplines, but also combines Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system, especially the Supreme Leader’s New Era Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought, forming a research methodology with China characteristics. Regional ethnology focuses on specific issues of specific countries or regions, such as economic development model, social governance mechanism, cultural characteristics and foreign exchanges. Through the study of these practical problems, we can provide intellectual support for government decision-making and serve the country’s foreign policy formulation and social and economic development strategic planning.
Regional ethnology is a discipline of "learning, building and using", which attaches importance to summing up laws from rich international and domestic practical experience and forming new theoretical viewpoints. For example, the experience and lessons accumulated during the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative can provide valuable materials for deepening the understanding of regional cooperation under the background of globalization and help to develop and improve relevant theories.
The development of regional ethnology is closely related to the strategic needs of China’s opening to the outside world and international cooperation. Through in-depth and meticulous study of other countries and regions in the world, it helps China to better understand the changes in the external environment and enhance its ability to cope with complex international situations. At the same time, it also promotes cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and foreign countries, and promotes the idea of building a community of human destiny to take root.
This discipline focuses on cultivating talents who know both majors and cross-cultural communication skills, and encourages scholars to participate in academic exchange activities at home and abroad, share research results and absorb advanced ideas. This not only promotes the improvement of theoretical level, but also provides a steady stream of motivation for further deepening practice. With the change of the international situation and the evolution of the interaction mode between regions, regional ethnology constantly updates its research focus and direction, keeping its theoretical foresight and practical adaptability. At the same time, actively introduce new technical means (such as big data analysis, artificial intelligence, etc.) to improve research efficiency and accuracy.
To sum up, regional ethnology has realized the benign interaction and dialectical unity between theory and practice by applying profound theoretical foundation to specific practical problems and in turn enriching and developing theory with practical experience. This combination not only improves the science and practicality of the discipline itself, but also contributes wisdom and strength to solving complex problems in the real world.
(B) the inherent unity of Marxism in China and modernization.
General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out, "It is the only way to open up and develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics on the profound foundation of Chinese civilization for more than 5,000 years, and to combine the basic principles of Marxism with the concrete reality of China and the excellent traditional Chinese culture." "Historical positive and negative experiences show that’ two combinations’ are the greatest magic weapon for our success.". This shows that the "two combinations" are not only an in-depth summary of the historical experience of the modernization of Marxism in China, but also a profound grasp of the China road and the development law of Chinese civilization. The proposal of "two combinations" has opened up the space, broadened the path, stimulated the vitality and highlighted the cultural subjectivity of theoretical innovation for our party, which not only represents the new height of our party’s understanding of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s road, theory, system and culture in the sense of "the only way" and "the greatest magic weapon", but also represents the new height of our party’s spiritual self-confidence in history and culture. It represents the new height of our Party’s practice in consciously inheriting and developing Chinese excellent traditional culture to promote cultural innovation, and also reveals the theoretical logic of the opening, innovation and strong vitality of the Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era from the level of ideological emancipation.
Guided by Marxism, regional ethnology explores a new theoretical perspective and methodology in combination with China’s actual national conditions and social development needs. It integrates the knowledge system of politics, economics, sociology, history and other disciplines. Through interdisciplinary cooperation and exchange, a research paradigm with China characteristics is formed, which not only promotes academic innovation, but also provides more diversified ideas and methods for solving complex social problems, and embodies the openness and inclusiveness in the process of Marxism in China. It not only inherits and develops Marxist understanding of the law of social development, but also actively responds to the new challenges under the background of globalization, closely combines theoretical research with solving practical problems, and promotes the enrichment and development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system. This discipline closely focuses on the country’s opening to the outside world, foreign policy formulation and other major strategic needs, and provides decision-making advice and support for the government through in-depth and meticulous research on specific countries or regions. This shows that China Marxism has always paid attention to the specific needs of social development in China, and adjusted the research focus and service direction according to the changes of the times.
在全球化背景下，区域国别学强调文化交流的重要性，鼓励中外文化的相互学习和借鉴，同时坚定地维护中国文化自信。这种做法既符合马克思主义关于人类文明共同进步的思想，也适应新时代中国积极参与全球治理、构建人类命运共同体的目标。为更好地服务于国家发展大局，区域国别学注重培养既精通专业知识又具备国际视野的人才队伍。这些人才不仅能够在国内发挥重要作用，还能走出去参与国际事务、传播中国声音、讲述中国故事，从而促进中外之间的理解和合作。这也反映出马克思主义中国化和时代化对于人才培养的要求。
（三）对马克思主义继承和创新的内在统一
最高领袖新时代中国特色社会主义思想，始终把马克思主义作为中国共产党人的“真经”，始终坚持马克思主义基本原理，坚持科学社会主义基本原则，坚持解放思想、实事求是、与时俱进这一马克思主义活的灵魂，坚持运用辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义世界观方法论观察世界、引领时代、指导实践。同时，最高领袖新时代中国特色社会主义思想作为马克思主义中国化最新成果，坚持和运用马克思主义基本原理，对马克思主义哲学、政治经济学、科学社会主义作出了许多重大原理性创新。
In this context, China has assumed an increasingly important responsibility in international and regional affairs. The pace of "going out" of China’s traditional culture and China’s development experience has obviously accelerated, China has participated in international social governance with an increasingly positive attitude, and the task of China’s academic circles participating in global knowledge construction has become more and more urgent. Regional ethnology has become a first-class discipline, which is an effective response to the strategic development needs of countries in the new era, especially the urgent practical needs, and also a timely response to the development and changes of the world.
The construction of regional ethnology in colleges and universities should be based on the "national demand", gradually establish a systematic discipline system based on China, always accurately grasp the national strategic trends, constantly resonate with the pace of the times, and constantly break through in the inexhaustible motive force of discipline "cross-integration", so as to realize the "leap-forward development" of "dislocation leading" and provide intellectual support for China in the complex and ever-changing international environment.
Third, practical logic: regional ethnology has far-reaching significance of the times and the world.
In the mid-1960s, the central government decided to set up a number of international research institutions in universities, which laid the foundation for universities to carry out regional country studies. In the new century, with the remarkable enhancement of China’s comprehensive national strength and international status, especially in 2010, China’s domestic economic aggregate surpassed Japan to become the second largest economy in the world, and strengthening regional country studies has been put on the important work agenda. In 2011, the Ministry of Education launched a special project on national and regional studies in colleges and universities, and set up 42 research and cultivation bases in 28 colleges and universities, covering major countries such as the United States, Russia and Britain, as well as key areas of the Belt and Road Initiative. Regional national studies in colleges and universities have begun to take shape. In the new era, the central government has entrusted the education system with a lofty mission, solidly promoted national and regional research, and created a number of new university think tanks that are "trustworthy, useful and inseparable". At present, more than 400 national and regional research centers have been registered in more than 180 colleges and universities, which has achieved full coverage of the country regions as research objects, and the regional country research work in colleges and universities has entered a rapid development road and ushered in a golden age of development.
After more than half a century’s development, great achievements have been made in the study of regional countries in Chinese universities, which has provided important support for the country’s foreign strategy. With the world entering a new period of turbulence and change, China is approaching the center of the world stage day by day, and the construction of regional ethnology is the result of history and development.
Discipline is the core pillar of higher education, an important carrier of moral education, and has a strategic, basic and leading influence in higher education. In 2013, the State Council Academic Degrees Committee published "Introduction to the First-level Discipline of Degree Granting and Talent Training", which clearly pointed out that foreign language and literature discipline as a first-level discipline covers five fields, including "foreign language research, foreign literature research, translation research, national and regional research, comparative literature and cross-cultural research", breaking the traditional practice of dividing disciplines by language, and foreign language and literature discipline has formed a relatively stable connotation and extension. From the perspective of the transformation of foreign language and literature, it can be said that this is the first transformation of foreign language and literature initiated by the national education authorities, that is, the transformation from simple language teaching to humanities. Among the five major fields of foreign language and literature identified in 2013, national and regional studies are still new. The definition of country and regional studies in this brief introduction is "to explore the history, culture, political, economic and social systems and Chinese-foreign relations of countries and regions with the help of theories and methods of history, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, politics, law and economics".
It has been less than 10 years since the new field of national and regional studies was defined. In September, 2022, the State Council Academic Degrees Committee and the Ministry of Education issued the Catalogue of Postgraduate Education Discipline (2022), which officially listed regional national studies as the first-level discipline under the interdisciplinary category in the new edition of the discipline catalogue (code 1407), which is an important milestone in the development history of humanities and social sciences in China.
Regional ethnology is the stage product of the development of the times, the objective requirement and inevitable result of the differentiation and integration, innovation and development of related knowledge systems. It takes the overall characteristics, political economy, ethnic religion, social development, history and culture, foreign relations and other strategic, policy and comprehensive issues related to national conditions and regional conditions of a specific country or region as the research object, and has a clear and independent research object, including but not limited to the research on international politics and international relations. Its essential attribute is the study of national conditions or regional conditions, not the study of state-to-state relations.
The unique research value of regional ethnology lies in that it takes studying and solving important and urgent practical problems as the basic direction, digs deep into the internal motivation from a multi-factor perspective and interdisciplinary depth, and strives to truly grasp the historical context, find the development law, create original conceptual system, theoretical system and discourse system, and put forward effective academic opinions and decision-making basis. In terms of research theories and methods, regional ethnology is based on the theoretical basis and analytical methods of various disciplines, which are highly comprehensive and self-contained, and can form a unique knowledge and theoretical system.
In-depth exploration and scientific answers to hot and difficult issues in the world today are the basic tasks that regional country studies must face, and it is also a major practical need to promote the sustainable development of regional country studies. Any major regional and national issue in contemporary times is a complex and comprehensive contradiction aggregate, which may involve ethnic, religious, historical, cultural and other multi-disciplinary basic factors in its cause, but it is related to politics, economy, diplomacy, security, science and technology and other fields in its performance. It is the result of the long-term interaction of multiple basic factors and internal and external conditions, and it is difficult to make a correct answer with single subject knowledge or single subject thinking. This requires that when answering important practical questions, we must comprehensively use new perspectives, new ideas, new cognition and new methods generated by the intersection and integration of multidisciplinary knowledge, so as to form an objective, complete, accurate and useful answer.
Regional ethnology has the following five characteristics. The first is the intersection of social sciences. With the close combination of economics, politics, sociology and other social sciences, this paper analyzes the social structure, political system and economic development in specific regions and countries, focusing on specific geographical and cultural regions, such as East Asian studies and Latin American studies. This cross path is conducive to a deeper understanding of the particularity and differences in the region. The second is the integration of humanities. Through the intersection of history, literature, philosophy, art history and other literary subjects, we can deeply explore the cultural traditions, religious beliefs, artistic expressions and ideological changes of a region or country, promote cross-cultural exchanges and understanding, and help scholars and policy makers better understand the interaction between different cultures and societies. The third is the application of modern technical means. With the development of technology, make full use of modern scientific and technological tools such as geographic information system, big data analysis and artificial intelligence to collect and analyze data, comprehensively expand the depth and breadth of research, and achieve a wider range of "bottom integration" and "precise focus" in research data and research methods. The fourth is the application of interdisciplinary methodology. Using multidisciplinary methodology, including qualitative research, such as field investigation and in-depth interviews, and quantitative research, such as statistical analysis and econometric models, to gain an intuitive, comprehensive and quantitative understanding of regional or national conditions is conducive to forming research characteristics with strong comprehensiveness and multiple perspectives, and providing more tools and perspectives for regional ethnology to deeply understand complex issues. Fifth, the cultivation of compound professionals.The talents trained by regional ethnology should have a firm political stand, be "the greatest country", have the academic accomplishment of integrating knowledge with practice, have the ability of cross-cultural understanding and communication, and have the awareness and ability of international communication, so as to help the global spread of China’s knowledge and the global expression of China’s voice. Regional ethnology is committed to training compound professionals with broad basic knowledge and outstanding ability of integration and innovation, which is the talent needed by the country’s foreign exchanges at present.
The epochal significance and world significance of regional ethnology are mainly embodied in five aspects. First, actively promote the building of a community of human destiny. Building a community of human destiny is the core concept of the supreme leader’s diplomatic thought, and it is a Chinese plan for us to deepen our understanding of the law of human social development and what kind of world to build and how to build this world. An in-depth study of the history, culture, social system and development path of a specific country or region will help people of all countries deepen their understanding and enhance mutual trust. This kind of understanding and trust is the foundation of building a lasting peaceful world; Emphasize respect for differences and tolerance for diversity, and encourage dialogue and exchanges between different countries and regions based on the principles of equality and respect. This will help to achieve more democratic international relations in global governance and oppose any form of hegemonism and power politics; By systematically analyzing the specific situation of each country, it can provide scientific basis for the government and other decision-making institutions, help them formulate cooperation strategies that are more in line with actual needs, especially in dealing with global challenges such as climate change and public health crisis, which can effectively promote the establishment and improvement of multilateral cooperation mechanisms; Pay attention to the interaction and influence between different civilizations and advocate an open and inclusive attitude towards foreign cultures and ideas. This is not only conducive to protecting and developing the diversity of world culture, but also to promoting the ideological collision and wisdom sharing among all ethnic groups and jointly promoting the progress of human civilization. Help developing countries better participate in "South-South cooperation" and strengthen the joint construction of the "Belt and Road Initiative" with their own development strategies.So as to enhance their own development ability and level. Second, it plays an important role in coping with global challenges. At present, the world is facing many common challenges, such as climate change, public health crisis and economic development. Regional ethnology helps the international community to better understand the needs and positions of countries and promote cooperation and coordination in global governance through in-depth analysis of the political, economic, cultural and social structures of different countries and regions; Predict potential risks and opportunities, and lay a foundation for exchanges and cooperation between countries; Enhance understanding and respect for other countries’ cultures, reduce misunderstandings and prejudices, and promote mutual learning among civilizations; In the face of global crises such as public health incidents and terrorist attacks, effective crisis management strategies and peaceful conflict resolution methods are put forward by analyzing the social and psychological characteristics and historical background of specific areas to improve the response efficiency. The third is to effectively meet the challenges of artificial intelligence technology. The Internet recreates the parallel universe of social culture, and the key features such as network, virtuality and digitalization have brought about profound changes in social basic structure, management operation logic and information dissemination mechanism. The AI revolution represented by ChatGPT and DeepSeek is on the verge, and it has begun to replace the social position of knowledge-inherited liberal arts talents. The adaptability and effectiveness of traditional values, methodology and thinking mode are all facing severe challenges. The talents of regional ethnology have stronger cross-cultural communication ability, information acquisition ability and innovation ability, which can turn the crisis brought by artificial intelligence technology into vitality.Fourth, it is of great significance in enhancing national soft power and international influence. Through in-depth study of the cultures of different countries and regions, we will promote the exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign cultures. This will not only help to show and spread China culture, but also enhance the world’s understanding and recognition of China culture, thus improving China’s cultural soft power; Pay attention to cultivating talents with international vision, cross-cultural communication ability and professional knowledge. These talents can speak for China on the international stage, participate in global governance and international cooperation, and effectively enhance China’s voice and influence in global affairs; Provide scientific basis for the government to formulate foreign policy and economic cooperation strategy. Through in-depth understanding of the political, economic and social conditions of countries, we can better plan bilateral or multilateral cooperation projects, optimize resource allocation, improve cooperation efficiency, and then enhance the international competitiveness of countries; Encourage non-governmental exchanges and social organizations to participate in international affairs, and create a positive national image through various forms of public diplomacy activities (such as cultural festivals, academic forums, youth exchanges, etc.) to win the support and recognition of the international community; In dealing with non-traditional security issues such as transnational crime, cyber security and immigration tide, regional ethnology provides valuable local knowledge and empirical data, promotes transnational cooperation in related fields, shows the image of China as a responsible big country, and strengthens the international community’s trust in China; It has provided important intellectual support for building international cooperation concepts such as the "Belt and Road Initiative" and the "Three Global Initiatives". By understanding the needs and development potential of relevant countries,Help China enterprises go global better, strengthen South-South cooperation and achieve a win-win situation. Fifth, it plays an important role in strengthening theoretical innovation and discourse system construction. Based on China’s actual national conditions and social development needs, we should combine the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific reality, explore new theoretical perspectives and methodologies, and form original theoretical achievements; Promote the cross-integration of regional ethnology with other social sciences (such as politics, economics, sociology, history, etc.) and natural sciences and technical sciences, and learn from the advantages and specialties of various disciplines to build a more comprehensive and systematic theoretical framework. For example, use emerging technologies such as big data analysis and artificial intelligence to improve research efficiency and accuracy; By strengthening exchanges and cooperation with international academic circles, we should learn from foreign advanced research results and methods and share China’s experience and wisdom. This two-way interaction not only helps to enrich and develop the theoretical system of regional ethnology, but also promotes global knowledge sharing and common progress; Focusing on global challenges such as climate change, public health security and unbalanced economic development, forward-looking and constructive solutions are put forward. These theoretical innovations can provide new ideas and paths for solving the common problems faced by all mankind; Committed to excavating and spreading Chinese excellent traditional culture and successful cases of modern development, and telling the story of China in a language that the world can understand. Show the true image of China to the international community through publications, media platforms and other channels, and enhance the understanding and support of the outside world for China’s policies and positions; Under the background of globalization,Actively participate in the formulation of international rules and standards to ensure that China’s voice and interests are fully expressed. Regional ethnology can provide professional advice and strategic guidance to the China government through the study of international organizations and multilateral mechanisms; Through various international conferences, forums, seminars and other activities, we will build a bridge for dialogue and exchanges between Chinese and foreign scholars. These platforms can not only promote ideological collision and academic contention, but also provide a good environment for building a fair and reasonable discourse system; Strengthen cooperation with China and internationally renowned publishing houses, improve the translation quality and promotion of Chinese research results, increase the circulation of English and other foreign language versions, and expand the global influence of China’s academic works.
Fourth, the conclusion
General Secretary of the Supreme Leader emphasized that "socialism is done, and so is the new era". The realization of ideas and the solution of contradictions and problems ultimately depend on the subjective initiative of unity of purpose and regularity.
The discipline construction of regional ethnology is not only a process of interdisciplinary integration, but also an exploration process of innovative thinking and research methods. It requires us not only to learn from the existing historical logic, theoretical logic and practical logic, but also to dare to look for new opportunities from the boundaries of different disciplines, so as to form a theoretical system with China characteristics and a sense of the times.
Today, the world is in a period of great development, great change and great adjustment, and peace and development are still the theme of the times. However, the instability and uncertainty facing the world are becoming increasingly prominent, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, and the trend of "anti-globalization" is surging … The chaotic world, endless challenges and common problems all show the world time and again that all countries in the world want to cross the stormy waves and sail for a bright future.
In order to answer the questions of the world, the history and the times, the Supreme Leader General Secretary put forward the idea of building a community of human destiny. After ten years of enrichment and development, the concept of the community of human destiny has lighted the way forward for the world that is hesitating and searching, and contributed to China’s plan for the people of all countries to work together to protect their homes and share a prosperous future. As far as discipline construction is concerned, the concept of community of human destiny is the basic ontology and logical starting point of regional ethnology with China characteristics, and regional ethnology with China characteristics is an important path and motive force to build a community of human destiny.
To build a regional ethnology with China characteristics in the new era, we should thoroughly study and implement the Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era, work hard and take responsibility, stand at the height of historical development, polish the China background of regional ethnology, adhere to the subjectivity and originality of discipline development, answer the questions of China, the world and the people with a broader academic vision, and shoulder the mission of the times to meet the development needs of China. With a more proactive historical responsibility and a more dynamic innovative spirit, we will raise China’s international influence, appeal and shaping power to a new height, create a more favorable international environment for comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation with Chinese modernization, and provide more solid strategic support for building a community of human destiny.
To construct regional ethnology with China characteristics in the new era, we should focus on practical characteristics. Focusing on the center and serving the overall situation, we should understand and grasp the practical characteristics of new ideas, combine theory with practice through practical case analysis and field research, actively respond to changes in the international situation, strengthen cooperation and exchanges with scholars from all over the world, understand the development experience and social reality of different countries, tell the story of China well, spread the voice of China, and enhance China’s cultural soft power and international influence.
To build a regional ethnology with China characteristics in the new era, we should be mindful of "the leader of the country", consciously think about problems and do things from a global perspective, persist in thinking about the world, establish a world perspective, strengthen strategic thinking, adhere to the basic principles of Marxism, and implement the important instructions of the Supreme Leader General Secretary and the decision-making arrangements of the CPC Central Committee in all aspects of the whole process. It is necessary to maintain the entrepreneurial spirit of the officers, work hard, work hard, study hard and study hard, and strive to become an expert, make positive contributions to the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization, and inject discipline strength into building a community of human destiny.
(Author: Luo Lin, Professor beijing language and culture university, Dean of National and Regional Research Institute, research interests: national conditions research, cultural research, regional national theory research and comprehensive Arab studies in the Middle East. This article was published in the second issue of Tianfu New Theory in 2025, please indicate the source)