African Studies

African Studies is a branch of Ethnic Studies, which is dedicated to culture and politics (and many other life aspects) of people living in African countries. It is an interdisciplinary field, which  includes study of economy, social and political problems, economic geography, history, law, ethnography, languages, literature and art or African nations. In some traditions, the north of Africa is not covered by the African Studies (the Sahara desert and the countries at this latitude).

Some countries in central Africa are still the least discovered parts of the world. This isolation of some nations and countries of Africa (either voluntary or involuntary), the consequences of the colonization of Africa and the newly acquired independence from the First World countries, the balance between preserving national identity and globalization - these are the most important topics in African Studies. Besides these problems, Africanists work together with charitable organizations that supply food and water to the poorest regions of Africa.

Degrees in African Studies can either be found in universities of Africa or in other institutions all around the world. Since Ethnic Studies as  a discipline was established in academic world of the USA, North American universities still hold the majority of study programs in African Studies (or any other Ethnic Studies). If you wish to study African Studies in Africa, you can choose University of Ghana, University of Ibadan (Nigeria), University of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), or Cairo University (Egypt). All these universities welcome international students.

You can find some study programs in African Studies on our website, for example,  BA African Studies with Development in University of Birmingham, UK, or MA African American and African Studies in Ohio State University in the USA.