Remarks on the Principles of Defining Regions in Geography and Anthropology

Abstract

The article is an introduction to the discussion of R.А. Topchishvili’s paper on the boundaries of the Caucasus which is published in the journal’s current issue. Special attention is paid to the principles of defining regions in anthropology, the problem of institutionalizing regional (area studies) specializations in the discipline, as well as issues of constructing integral classifications in area studies in general and in ethnographic area-making in particular. These topics are viewed against the backdrop of the history of area studies in anthropology.