Area Studies in France : The Lyon Institute of East Asian Studies (IAO)

The Lyon Institute of East Asian Studies (IAO-UMR 5062) in Lyon, France, is unique in that it is an area studies research institute whose researchers are primarily specialists in their original disciplines—philosophy, law, economics, and so on—as well as experts on an Asian country. This commitment to area studies, supported by the researchers’ expertise in each discipline, allows area studies to be opened up to contemporary issues and global transformations rather than being confined to the local level.