African Studies Center at Boston University

African Studies Center at Boston University
Name	African Studies Center at Boston University
Established	1959
Type	Research institute
Affiliation	Boston University
Location	Boston, Massachusetts

African Studies Center at Boston University is an interdisciplinary research and teaching unit within Boston University focused on the study of the African continent, its diasporas, and transnational connections. The Center supports graduate and undergraduate instruction, faculty research, archival collections, and community engagement that connect scholars, policymakers, and practitioners across North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Its activities intersect with comparative projects involving institutions such as Harvard University, MIT, Columbia University, and international partners like University of Cape Town and Makerere University.

History

The Center was created amid postwar expansion of area studies initiatives during the Cold War era, paralleling centers such as African Studies Center at Michigan State University and programs at School of Oriental and African Studies. Early collaborations involved scholars linked to United Nations missions and research influenced by figures associated with Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta, Haile Selassie, and decolonization debates. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the Center hosted visiting fellows from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and South Africa while engaging with policy communities in Washington, D.C. and NGOs like Oxfam and Amnesty International. In subsequent decades it expanded to include digital projects resonant with initiatives at Library of Congress, collections reflecting partnerships with British Museum acquisitions and comparative networks linked to Institut Français and Max Planck Society scholars.

Mission and Objectives

The Center’s mission draws on legacies of area studies programs established after World War II and aligns with goals promoted by organizations such as the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Objectives include supporting faculty research by scholars comparable to Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, and Molefi Kete Asante, training students for careers in diplomacy at U.S. Department of State, international development at World Bank and African Development Bank, journalism at outlets like BBC and Al Jazeera, and cultural work with museums such as the Smithsonian Institution and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Academic Programs and Curriculum

The Center coordinates cross-listed courses drawing on faculty from African-American Studies, History Department, Boston University, Anthropology Department, Boston University, and law faculty connected to Harvard Law School exchanges. Courses examine topics exemplified by works like Things Fall Apart, studies of Pan-Africanism, analyses of Rwandan Genocide, and case studies of Apartheid-era legal scholarship. It supports master's theses and doctoral dissertations touching on fields represented by scholars associated with Princeton University, Yale University, and University of Chicago, and it offers language instruction in Swahili, Amharic, Hausa, Zulu, and Yoruba in partnership with area language programs. Internship pathways link students to placements at United Nations Development Programme, Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, and municipal partners including City of Boston offices.

Research and Publications

Faculty and fellows publish monographs and articles in venues such as African Studies Review, Journal of African History, Comparative Studies in Society and History, and edited volumes comparable to series from Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press. Research agendas include comparative studies of postcolonial governance involving countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, studies of extractive industries focused on Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola, and urban studies referencing Lagos, Nairobi, and Cape Town. Collaborative digital humanities projects mirror initiatives at Digital Public Library of America and draw on archival materials similar to collections at the British Library and National Archives (United Kingdom).

Outreach and Community Engagement

Public programming includes lecture series featuring scholars and public intellectuals such as Achille Mbembe, Amina Mama, and journalists from The New York Times and The Guardian covering African affairs. The Center organizes film screenings, exhibitions in partnership with the Museum of African Diaspora, and K–12 curriculum workshops echoing model projects by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Community engagement extends to policy briefings for offices in Massachusetts General Court and collaboration with Boston-area diaspora organizations, cultural centers, and faith communities rooted in connections to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cape Verde, and Somalia populations.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The Center sustains bilateral relationships with African universities including University of Nairobi, University of Ibadan, Stellenbosch University, and University of Pretoria, and participates in consortia with Council on Foreign Relations-affiliated programs and continental networks like the African Studies Association. Grants and joint projects have involved funders and partners such as the Rockefeller Foundation, United States Agency for International Development, and international NGOs like CARE International and Save the Children. Exchange programs link faculty and students with research centers at Université Cheikh Anta Diop and technical collaborations with Wits University researchers.

Facilities and Resources

Facilities include seminar rooms, lecture halls on the Boston University Charles River Campus, and access to library holdings across the Boston Public Library system. Specialized resources encompass archival collections comparable to holdings at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, digital repositories interoperable with HathiTrust, and language labs with materials drawn from publishers such as Heinle and Cambridge University Press. The Center supports visiting scholar residences and hosts conferences bringing together delegations from embassies like those of Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Category:Boston University