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SISU scholar Wang Duanyong has been doing fieldwork in Afghan for area studies


24 December 2022 | By Hong Junjie, Wen Xin | 上观新闻

  • Wang Duanyong in Afghanistan

  • Wang Duanyong in Afghanistan

  • Wang Duanyong in Afghanistan

  • Wang Duanyong in Afghanistan

F

ield research or fieldwork, often believed to be a romantic experience, has gained much attention recently. Wang Duanyong, an associate researcher from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), may show its real face through his overseas fieldwork.

Wang researches China's overseas interests, mainly focusing on overseas investment and overseas citizens' security. He continually traveled through a dozen countries of Africa, north America and south Asia for field research.

Wang has been in Afghanistan for more than a year for his fieldwork, during which he traveled more than half of the country.

In Afghanistan, the year-round power shortage is reported to be more than 50 percent of the country. Wang said it is normal to have an electricity black-out from early morning until afternoon even in communities with relatively better living conditions than other places. He also confessed that the danger is often “passing by” there.

In Wang's view, if people want to do real field research for area studies, staying in the targeted country is necessary. although field research seems to be tough, it indeed helps Wang to get deep insight of Afghanistan.

During the first several days after he arrived in this country, he was arrested and brought to a dark room by Taliban police. Wang found one of them is even a graduate of the local famous college.

“He introduced the development of agriculture in Afghanistan which I studied before, so I pointed out some mistakes in his words,” Wang recalled. The police even invited him to write a recommendation letter for further study in China.

However, field research is not all of the study. The investigations aren’t only conducted at the scene but need huge accumulations and studies from desk work.

Wang went to Congo to do field research for the second time in 2016, before that he had read 167 papers from literature including public relations, trade and investment and natural science. After coming back to China, he added many other industry statistics to his research.

 “Hard reading and analysis of data is the core of field research,” Wang said.

Consistent with Wang's opinion, Hu Bingbing, a professor from Central South University, who has committed to field research for over 40 years, said that the total amount of desk work could be 40 times more than that of field research.

Wang was delighted that more and more SISU scholars and students are committed to field research overseas. “The whole academic team is getting stronger,” he said.

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Press Contact

SISU News Center, Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Tel : +86 (21) 3537 2378

Email : news@shisu.edu.cn

Address :550 Dalian Road (W), Shanghai 200083, China

Further Reading