International Dialogue and New Approaches: Highlights from Fudan University’s Summer School

At the beginning of July 2026, students from the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs took part in the Summer School on International Relations organised by Fudan University (China), one of the leading international educational programmes in this field. Over the course of two weeks, they explored contemporary approaches to global governance and the development of the Global South, attended lectures by renowned scholars from around the world, and discussed current international issues with fellow students from across the globe.

The SIRPA (School of International Relations and Public Affairs) Summer School was held in early July 2026 at Fudan University’s School of International Relations and Public Affairs. Each year, the programme brings together students from leading universities worldwide, welcoming aspiring researchers, diplomats, and international affairs specialists from dozens of countries.

The theme of the 2026 Summer School was ‘Toward a Non-Hegemonic World: Communitas, Governance, and the De-dependency Development of the Global South.’ The programme comprised four thematic modules: Methods and Paths for Rethinking the World Order; A Holistic View of Security in an Era of Great Change; Comparative Politics through the Lens of New Development; and the Purpose, Theory, and Practice of Development.

SIRPA awarded ten scholarships to students from the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, covering the full cost of tuition and accommodation on campus. Faculty students also received a Summer School stipend to help cover part of their expenses in China, while five students from HSE’s International Relations and Global Studies programme were awarded travel grants to cover their airfare. The Summer School was also attended by students from HSE’s Bachelor’s in International Relations and the master’s programmes in Modern Asian and MENA Studies and International Relations: European and Asian Studies.

The school’s lecturers and speakers included leading scholars from China, Europe, Africa, and North America. This year, Oleg Korneev, Academic Supervisor of the International Relations and Global Studies programme, took part as a guest expert. His course focused on relations between the European Union and Central Asia, a region whose importance in global politics and economics has grown significantly in recent years.

Students from the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs praised the Summer School programme and shared their impressions with the HSE News Service.

Aleksa Te, third-year bachelor’s student, International Relations and Global Studies

‘The Summer School on International Relations and Global Governance gave me a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the very sense of global interconnectedness that we discuss throughout our degree programme.

Thanks to the comprehensive support we received—both organisational and financial, including travel grants provided by the International Relations and Global Studies programme—the five of us from the programme’s third year had the opportunity not only to attend lectures but also to take part in lively discussions with leading international experts in international relations, economics, sociology, and even architecture. The series of 22 lectures opened with a keynote by Prof. Yin Zhiguang, who called for the search for alternative models of global governance. The critical perspectives of Radhika Desai, Alan Freeman, and Ben Norton explored the crisis of the current world order and the search for new principles of global justice. I was particularly impressed by the research of Emily Wilcox (the College of William & Mary, USA) on cultural diplomacy through dance exchanges, as well as by Prof. Wei Ran’s (Tsinghua University) lecture on rethinking world literature from the perspective of the Global South. These presentations encouraged me to look at familiar issues from an entirely new angle.

The informal part of the programme was just as enriching. Throughout the two weeks, we were constantly exchanging academic, professional, and cultural experiences with participants from China, India, Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. These interactions allowed me not only to learn about everyday life and traditions in another country but also to realise that without knowing the language, much of a nation’s culture and history remains inaccessible. The most valuable moments for me were conversations in Chinese with native speakers and discussions in Russian with international participants who are studying our country and are genuinely interested in it.’

Alina Malysh, second-year master’s student, Modern Asian and MENA Studies

‘Taking part in Fudan University’s Summer School was an invaluable and highly rewarding experience. One of the programme’s greatest strengths was the outstanding calibre of its guest lecturers.

Among the lectures I attended, I was particularly impressed by those focusing on digital governance, sanctions policy, and international development cooperation. Prof. Zheng Lei of Fudan University’s School of International Relations and Public Affairs presented practical examples of how artificial intelligence, data governance technologies, and digital public services are being implemented in modern Shanghai. Farwa Sial, Research Associate in the Department of Economics at SOAS University of London, examined the impact of sanctions on the development of the Global South and the international financial system. Prof. José Alejandro Sebastián Barrios Díaz of the Institute of International Relations at the University of Brasília devoted his lecture to quantitative approaches to assessing South–South cooperation, using Brazil’s COBRADI (Brazilian Cooperation for International Development) system as a case study.

In addition to the lectures, I greatly appreciated the programme’s broad thematic scope. Although my primary academic interests lie in contemporary international relations and global politics, the historical and theoretical sessions—including those devoted to imperialism and Marxist political economy—helped me gain a deeper understanding of the different research approaches used to analyse contemporary international developments.

I was equally impressed by both Fudan University and Shanghai. The modern infrastructure, the scale of the university, the high standard of academic organisation, and the extensive opportunities for study, research, and international collaboration create a truly exceptional academic environment. Taking part in the Summer School not only enabled me to acquire new knowledge but also gave me additional motivation for my future academic and professional development.’

Maria Bakhareva, third-year bachelor’s student, International Relations

‘What I remember most about the Summer School is the richness of its academic content and the remarkable diversity of its participants. We attended lectures on China, global governance, and international development, while also spending a great deal of time talking with one another outside the classroom.

For me, the most valuable aspect of the programme was the opportunity to look at familiar issues in international relations through different analytical perspectives, as the lecturers came not only from the Chinese academic community but also from universities in other countries. I was particularly pleased to have the chance to speak with a Brazilian professor whose articles and research I had relied on extensively while writing my term paper during the past academic year. It was a defining moment for me, making the international academic community in my field of interest feel much more accessible. The trip also served as an important reminder of how essential direct intercultural communication is in our profession. The opportunity to engage in face-to-face discussions with people from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences proved especially valuable.

Leading scholars from China, Europe, Africa, and North America were invited to lecture and speak at the Summer School. This year, Oleg Korneev, Academic Supervisor of HSE’s International Relations and Global Studies programme, also joined the programme as a guest expert. In his lectures, he examined in detail the narratives and practices underpinning the European Union’s development policy towards the countries of Central Asia, the ways these approaches are perceived and adapted within the region, and the challenges involved in producing expert knowledge on the Global South. His classes combined theoretical analysis with discussions of current developments in international politics, introducing students to contemporary perspectives on the interaction between global and local actors in the region.’