African Diaspora and African American History
Related Resources:
- Program of African Studies
- Center for African American History
- Graduate certificate in African American and Diaspora Studies
- Department of African American Studies
Scholars and teachers in these fields engage with the history of people of African descent all over the world. Chronologically, this work often begins with the trans-Atlantic slave trade, in which merchants and traders forced more than 10 million Africans to leave their native lands. Race-based slavery and its legacies, particularly in the "New World" societies of the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean, are central areas of inquiry. We also place special emphasis on the agency and creativity of people of African descent, examining the history of protest movements, as well as ideas and critiques developed by Black people all over the globe. Historians in this field are usually connected to particular geographical areas but also engage in comparative inquiries involving other diasporas and different racial formations.
