CACS Policy Brief No 1

BRICS Studies: Some Suggested Themes

Chris Landsberg, Francis A. Kornegay, Jr and Mzukisi Qobo

July 2017

ABSTRACT: Developing interdisciplinary policy studies focusing on Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) can be considered a natural spin-off of the annual BRICS summitry, inclusive of the think-tanks, academic forums, and symposia forming part of the build-up to the heads-of-state event.  This Policy Brief extrapolates themes as a basis for considering why BRICS warrants its own identity as a field of study, and what this might constitute. The suggested themes are presented as four illustrative modules, indicative of how an academic and/or policy agenda might be constructed. The proposed modules fall into two subcategories: strategic studies and functional studies. The focus of this exercise is on strategic studies as the overarching conceptual framework for BRICS Studies. It concludes with a selected listing of illustrative resources as an analytical base for BRICS studies development.

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