The research consortium De:link//Re:link – Local Insights and New Knowledges aims to demonstrate the importance of Area Studies for knowledge production, communication and dissemination in a world increasingly characterized by uncontrolled digitization and fragmented information. Engaging with the notion of “link”, the group brings local perspectives and new dimensions of knowledge into focus. In the research, the term “local” not only includes spatial but also, and even more so, relational components.