Abstract <p>Interdisciplinary area studies have been the subject of criticism from mainstream social sciences in recent decades. Specialists in individual regions and countries are perceived as lacking sufficient knowledge of modern research methodology and being more focused on the interests of the humanities rather than the social sciences. At the same time, the study of individual regions and countries requires the accumulation of specific knowledge, which is highly likely to be lost in the absence of area studies communities. The article examines the main areas of criticism of area studies and existing proposals for the modernization of this research direction.</p>