本文基本上是從歷史學與區域研究之間的關係著眼，分別反省歷史學的區域研究傳統、臺灣歷史學界對區域史研究的看法、臺灣史的區域史研究發展脈絡。最後，並以東臺灣地區為例，檢討戰後以來東部區域史研究的成果和發展趨勢。 二十世紀以來較具區域史傾向的理論或學派有法國年鑑學派、施堅雅的巨區理論，一九七○年代美國中國史的反省以及一九八○年代日本明清史學者提出的地域社會論。但是，除了年鑑學派之外，歷史學者選擇一個地區或區域作為研究，基本上更關心區域差異問題或是其社會樣貌。 臺灣歷史學界有意識地主張區域史研究，以一九七○年代初中研究院近代史研究所推行的「中國現代化的區域研究計畫」為嚆矢，並首度進行區域史研究方法論的反省。反觀，受到時代政治環境的影響，臺灣史研究一開始即以「中國地方史」的面貌出現，遑論臺灣區域史之研究。 直至一九七○年代後期，臺灣史研究萌芽與發展階段，區域史研究才正式展開，但是基本上是以漢人中心史觀出發的清代臺灣開發史研究，一九九○年代受到台灣本土化運動的影響，地域主義逐漸興起，各地方誌的編修乃促使臺灣區域史研究乃蔚為風氣。東臺灣區域史的發展脈絡，亦復如此。東臺灣研究在一九九○年之前，基本上是以東部人研究東部地方史的格局下展開，一九九○年代中葉東臺灣研究會成立和臺東縣史的編纂，促使東部研究趨於活絡。特別是東臺灣研究會嘗試營造的區域研究典範，或許是面臨瓶頸的臺灣區域史研究可以突破的方法之一。

　　　　　 In this article, I intend to discuss the relationship between history and area studies. I by analyzing the area studies-tradition of history, the perspectives of Taiwanese historians on area studies, the development of area studies in Taiwan, and reviewing the achievements of Eastern Taiwan studies. Since the twentieth century, so me theories or schools of thought that have trended to take an area studies approach to history are the Annals school of France, G. William SKinner's scholarship, self-examinations by American Chinese historian during 1970s, and “regional society”theory promoted by Japanese Minchin historians. But except Annals school, the historians choose area or regional study were basically more concerned with area difference and aspects of society. Taiwanese historians have consciously advocated area history since the Area Studies Plan of Chinese modernization was first introduced by Institute of Modern History, Academic Sinica, in early 1970. This plan first discussed the methods of area history. Due to the political environment of the day, studies of Taiwan history appeared as Chinese local history at first,and Taiwan area history studies were few in number. It was not until the late 1970s─as the field of Taiwan history was born and began to develop─that Taiwan area history first started. However, most of the scholarship conducted at that time was Sinocentric in nature and concentrated on the settlement of Taiwan during the Ch'ing era. In the 1990s,under the influence of the localization movement and the growth of regionalism, each county in Taiwan began compiling its own local histories. The field of Taiwan history gradually blossomed from then on, and the development of Eastern Taiwan history was no exception. Before the 1990s, Eastern Taiwan studies simply meant local history studies about eastern Taiwan by people from that area. During the 1990s, the Eastern Taiwan Studies Association (ETSA) was established, and the history of Taitung county was compiled. Eastern Taiwan studies thus developed into a vivid field of enquiry. The pattern of area studies constructed by the ETSA might well provide a methodological breakthrough for area history studies in Twaiwan.