Zeng Xianghong

Abstract: As a form of knowledge production, area studies have always faced an inherent tension between the exploration of situated knowledge and the construction of universal theory; hence the importance of promoting mid-range conceptual innovation as a possible means of overcoming this tension Generally speaking, there are three main approaches to innovation: refining new academic concepts based on the unique experience of a given area; revising or overhauling scholarly concepts in existing disciplinary theory; and undertaking the necessary processing of the concepts used in the life-world by groups of people in a specific area. Given the difficulty of carrying out in-depth and extensive field investigations in the current academic context, Chinese researchers on Central Asia need to prioritize the second and innovative mid-range concept pathways, In order to make new breakthroughs in Centra Asian studies.

Keyword:Regional research; Central Asia Research; mid-range concept; conceptual innovation