On May 7th, the inauguration ceremony of the Sharjah Field Station of the International Institute for Area Studies (IIAS) at Tsinghua University and the seminar on "Social Development and Sustainability in the Global South from the Perspective of New Developmentalism" were held at the University of Sharjah in the UAE. The Sharjah Field Station, co-established by the IIAS at Tsinghua University and the Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Sharjah, aims to provide a field research platform for Tsinghua University and its partner institutions. This initiative will foster transnational academic exchanges and collaborations, exploring directions and pathways for the development of area studies.
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Fakir Al Gharaibeh, Dean of the Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Sharjah. Maamar Bettayeb, Vice President of the University of Sharjah, and Zhao Jinsong, Deputy Director of the IIAS at Tsinghua University, delivered welcome speeches. They introduced the development of both universities, emphasized the necessity of interdisciplinary and international research collaboration, and looked forward to future academic cooperation between the two institutions.
During the ceremony, Deputy Director Zhao Jinsong and Vice President Maamar Bettayeb signed a memorandum of understanding on behalf of both parties and jointly unveiled the plaque for the Sharjah Field Station of the IIAS at Tsinghua University. The event concluded with a group photo of all attendees.
In the morning, the IIAS at Tsinghua University and the Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Sharjah co-hosted a seminar on "Social Development and Sustainability in the Global South from the Perspective of New Developmentalism." Tim Niblock, Director of the Center for Global Issues at the IIAS at Tsinghua University and Emeritus Professor at the University of Exeter, delivered a welcome address, expressing hopes for the field station to facilitate more intellectual interactions. During the keynote speeches, Professor Yasuyuki Kono, Vice President of Kyoto University, Professor Li Xiaoyun, Honorary Dean of the College of International Development and Global Agriculture/South-South Agricultural Cooperation Institute at China Agricultural University, Professor Zhu Xufeng, Dean of the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University, and scholars from various humanities and social science departments at the University of Sharjah participated in discussions. The scholars examined the political economy and social development in the Global South.
In the final session on academic cooperation, Dr. Duan Jiuzhou, Assistant Director of the IIAS and Director of the Center for West Asian and North African Studies at Tsinghua University, Dr. Adam Hanieh, Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the IIAS and Professor at the University of Exeter, Dr. Fakir Al Gharaibeh, Dean of the Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Sharjah, and heads of various departments at the University of Sharjah introduced the history, current research, and staff profiles of their respective academic institutions. They also discussed mutual academic interests.
The University of Sharjah was founded in 1997 by Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, a member of the Supreme Council of the UAE and Ruler of Sharjah. As one of the UAE's leading educational institutions, the University of Sharjah is renowned for its excellence in teaching and rich academic resources in the West Asia and North Africa region.
