African History at the University of Kansas

African history is a small but growing area in the department, where graduate students often choose Africa as a minor field of study to complement other fields such as British history or international history.

The two African historians in the department are Thomas Lewin and Elizabeth MacGonagle. Both are specialists in oral history and interviewing and have employed this methodology in their research and publications. In addition, Jake Dorman, Sheyda Jahanbani, Anton Rosenthal, and Kim Warren have teaching and research interests either on the continent or in the African Diaspora.

Graduate seminar offerings in African history include “African History in Global Perspective” (Hist 801), “Seminar in African Studies” (Hist 802), and “Colloquium in Comparative Women’s History: Africa & Europe” (Hist 897). Occasional readings courses on specific topics of interest to students and faculty members are also arranged.

There is a vibrant and prominent African Studies presence across campus with over 50 Africanist faculty members. A cohort of graduate students working on African research topics hail from other departments such as geography, anthropology, English, and Theatre. KU is home to the Kansas African Studies Center (KASC), a federally-funded Title VI National Resource Center. A graduate certificate in African Studies is available from KASC after completion of 12 hours of coursework. The Center also sponsors a wide range of African Studies events (including conferences, workshops, seminars, and brown-bag discussions) and offers FLAS fellowships for the study of African languages. Every year the Department of African and African American Studies (AAAS) at KU teaches Arabic, Swahili, Hausa, and Wolof language courses. Training in other African languages may also be arranged.