The Department

This academic year marks the 30th anniversary of the founding student protests of the Department of Africana Studies (AAS) at Georgia State University. The creation of the department is a direct result of the persistence, fortitude and commitment of the student-activists who sought social change at Georgia State University. Since its formal inception in 1994, AAS has made tremendous strides in fulfilling the University’s advisory committee on African American Studies’ mandate “to become a regionally and ultimately a nationally recognized department of African-American Studies.”

The Department of Africana Studies at Georgia State University is dedicated to preserving, fostering, and expanding the interdisciplinary study of Black people and all those of African descent. Building on a tradition of academic excellence and social responsibility, we provide critical service to the intellectual community, the larger society, and the world. It is our vision that each student, faculty member, and community partner, at GSU and beyond, will benefit from an education grounded in the cultural heritage of Africana peoples.

The Department of African Studies has worked to enrich intellectual and social life on campus and beyond. This has included housing the National Council for Black Studies (2002-2011), the premier professional association of Africana Studies, hosting academic conferences, sponsoring lectures, offering study abroad opportunities, and partnering with community organizations. Our students have won national essay contests, participated in national and international scholarly conferences, and developed informative and stimulating campus programming through its student organization, Sankofa Society.

In addition to those efforts, our faculty, staff and student participation in civic engagement and social justice advocacy remains one of the foremost hallmarks of the department. We have and will continue to partner with impactful community organizations including the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History; Hammond House Galleries and Resource of African American Art; Malcolm X Grassroots Movement; the Federation of Southern Cooperatives; The United States Human Rights Network; Project South-Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide; and Forever Family (formerly Aid to Children of Imprisoned Mothers).

In addition to those efforts, our faculty, staff and student participation in civic engagement and social justice advocacy remains one of the foremost hallmarks of the department. We have and will continue to partner with impactful community organizations including the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History; Hammond House Galleries and Resource of African American Art; Malcolm X Grassroots Movement; the Federation of Southern Cooperatives; The United States Human Rights Network; Project South-Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide; and Forever Family (formerly Aid to Children of Imprisoned Mothers).