ERA-AREAS establishes the Center for Multidisciplinary Area Studies (CenMAS) at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University (CUFA), marking a major step in institutional advancement. Led by ERA Chair Holder Prof. Mariana Llanos, the project drives organizational reform and introduces an innovative methodological shift by integrating social-scientific and linguistic-cultural approaches, strengthening research capacity, international networking, and CUFA’s global excellence.
EU, 2025-2030

Cooperation Partners

Charles University German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)

Head

Prof. Dr. Mariana Llanos

Lead Research Fellow / Editor Journal of Politics in Latin America

Research Questions

CenMAS will address key research questions concerning the causes, dynamics, and consequences of critical contemporary developments in non-European regions and Eastern Europe. Its research will examine political, social, cultural, and institutional transformations, patterns of governance and conflict, and their implications for global and regional stability. The Center’s research strategy and specific research agenda will be developed between April 2026 and September 2027, providing a flexible and responsive framework for innovative, comparative, and policy-relevant area studies research.

Contribution to International Research

CenMAS will make a strong contribution to international research by establishing a new international core research team composed of the Center’s leader and three postdoctoral researchers specializing in different global regions. This team will be embedded within and closely cooperate with five area studies departments at the Faculty of Arts, fostering cross-regional and multidisciplinary collaboration. By creating a new center of excellence for area studies in Central and Eastern Europe, CenMAS will integrate cutting-edge research with doctoral and postgraduate training, strengthen international academic exchange, and enhance the region’s visibility and impact in global area studies research.

Research Design and Methods

CenMAS will apply an integrated methodological framework that brings together social-scientific and linguistic-cultural approaches within a comparative, cross-regional perspective. This framework will enable systematic analysis of political, social, and cultural dynamics in non-European regions and Eastern Europe, overcome fragmented research traditions, and provide a shared foundation for innovative, collaborative, and policy-relevant area studies research.