The Association of African Studies Programs (AASP) held its spring meeting last week on April 7 and 8, 2022. An important information session organized by the association’s officers, including ASC Assistant Director Eric Schmidt, the AASP spring meeting brings together speakers from foundations and government agencies to talk about funding, fellowship programs, internships, study abroad, and […]
The African Studies Center held its annual Welcome Reception last Thursday at BU’s Fox Fountain. Faculty, staff, and graduate students from across the university attended the event to meet one another, and hear welcoming remarks from the new ASC Director Michael Woldemariam. Many thanks to the ASC staff and student staff members who helped organize […]
Last month, Eric Schmidt and his Music of Africa class welcomed Ben Paulding, who directs the Fafali Ghanaian music ensemble at Brandeis University and is a member of the Boston-based Afropop band Kotoko Brass, for a socially distanced kinka drumming workshop. The students substituted household objects for instruments and recorded themselves playing. Each student’s recording was edited together to create a music video, with […]
Students, faculty, and staff filled the ASC last Tuesday for the Spring Student and Faculty Mixer. Director Fallou Ngom and Assistant Director Eric Schmidt led everyone in brief introductions and then gave a short presentation on the FLAS Fellowships, for which applications are now open. After the presentation, prospective applicants got to hear from current and former FLAS […]
The ASC was thrilled to host Souleymane Bachir Diagne for our 30th Annual Bradford Morse Distinguished Lecture. Diagne presented “Discussing Universalism in a Post-Bandung World” at the Leventhal Center and the lecture was followed by a dinner reception at the Dahod Family Alumni Center at the Castle. Thank you to Natasha Patel and Eric Schmidt for […]
We were delighted to welcome colleagues old and new to the African Studies Center for a reception on Oct 3. Faculty, staff, and visiting researchers shared the latest on their research and work across Africa, representing disciplines from art history to biology, international relations, technology studies, and beyond. We’re looking forward to seeing you at […]
In July, the BU African Studies Center and the University for Development Studies in Tamale, Ghana, signed a memorandum of understanding outlining a vision for a cooperative and multi-layered linkage serving faculty, students, and staff at both institutions. This agreement serves one of the ASC’s key mandates as a Title VI National Resource Center to […]
The Boston University African Studies Center has started work on an important scholarly project that provides a new window into the history, cultures, and intellectual traditions of West Africa. The project ʿAjamī Literature and the Expansion of Literacy and Islam: The Case of West Africa that was awarded a NEH Collaborative Research Grant, will digitize […]
In late January, the ASC Diaspora Studies Initiative hosted a breakfast in conjunction with the African Diaspora Engaging Africa (ADEA) Initiative. The breakfast aimed to facilitate networking amongst practitioners and spark discussion about best practices. The event was well attended and included representatives from groups involved with STEM education, community engagement, health, vulnerable children, and literacy. For more information about the event, or information […]
The Boston University African Studies Center (ASC) and its Diaspora Studies Initiative hosted a breakfast meeting and workshop of the African Diaspora Engaging Africa (ADEA) Initiative on Saturday, January 19, 2019. The ADEA Initiative seeks to facilitate supportive platforms for the African Diaspora to engage in Africa’s development. This initiative creates a diverse and productive […]