The interest in seemingly far away regions has grown dramatically throughout the globe during the last two decades. As during previous waves of globalization in the midst of the 19th and at the turn of the 20th centuries, increasing connectedness has resulted in new ways of observing and conceptualizing border-crossing flows of people, ideas, goods and capital as well as emerging spatial configurations. It can be argued that traditional regional and area studies will be replaced by transregional and global studies, while at the same time inter-regional comparison gains increasing importance. The volume presents both conceptual and empirical achievements of the Centre for Area Studies at the University of Leipzig, which was founded in 2009 and has focussed its efforts on the relationship between cultural encounters and political orders in a global age.