PAS Today

In the past 60 years, PAS has grown and flourished. Learn more about the program's remarkable achievements:

The Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies

Established in 1954, the Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies is now the largest separate Africana collection in existence. Serving Northwestern faculty and students, as well as more than a thousand U.S. and international scholars each year, the collections are extensive and diverse with subject matters ranging from art, history, literature, music, and religion to communications, management, and cooking.

The library houses more than 270,000 volumes across all disciplines in African Studies; about 3,000 journals, newspapers, magazines and other serial publications; and nearly 15,000 books in more than 300 African languages. Also included are rare books, archives, manuscripts, maps, posters, videos and more. The Africana Library is a resource to the Northwestern community and frequently exhibits collection highlights as well as an extensive collection of electronic resources.

Search the library's collections online or visit it at 1970 Campus Drive on Northwestern's Evanston Campus.

Interdisciplinary academic education

PAS encompasses a thriving community of graduate and undergraduate students who specialize in a diverse variety of disciplines across the university. The program promotes interdisciplinary courses with Africa content, language training, study abroad programs, special events, and Africa-based research.

PAS brings students together with faculty and visiting scholars in a variety of different academic and cultural settings, such as lectures, conferences, dinners, workshops, research programs, and film screenings. Students in all fields are welcome to participate in the activities of the program, which are intended to increase understanding of African realities and foster students' interest in African Studies.

In addition, PAS grants a Minor in African Studies at the undergraduate level and a Certificate in African Studies at the graduate level, as well as administering several grants and fellowships to encourage academic research of Africa and the Diaspora.

African studies programming

Each year, the program offers events that range from seminar discussions, lectures, and conferences to workshops, films, and performances. Events are open to Northwestern faculty and students as well as the general public. PAS events are designed to further the knowledge and experience of African scholarly work.

PAS hosts a variety of lectures, including:

  • A quarterly, multidisciplinary lecture series featuring Northwestern faculty and students as well as leading scholars on Africa from around the globe.
  • Two regular lecture series on Mondays and Wednesdays that expose faculty and students to leading scholars in their fields. Prominent speakers have included: Chinua Achebe (novelist), Oliver Tambo (South African leader and politician), Dean French-Beytagh (anti-apartheid religious leader), Ali Mazrui (public intellectual), C.L.R. James (radical historian), Thurston Shaw (English archaeologist), Aidan Southall (English anthropologist), Ernest Gellner (philosopher and anthropologist), A. Ado Boahem (Nigerian historian), Nadine Gordimer (South African writer), Malcolm Guthrie (linguist), Eqbal Ahmad (Indian academic and radical activist), Ezekiel Mphalele (South African writer), Akin Mabogunje (Nigerian historian), Janheinz Jahn (authority on African religion), Dennis Brutus (Northwestern professor and South African poet and activist), and Shula Marks (South African historian).
  • The biannual Red Lion lecture series, which is co-sponsored with the University of Chicago.

View a current list of PAS upcoming events.

Extensive faculty community

More than 60 faculty members--from more than 20 affiliated departments and programs--teach courses related to Africa and the Diaspora. In addition to teaching courses, these faculty members are closely involved in PAS activities such as planning lecture series and developing new initiatives.

Every year, PAS also hosts several visiting scholars and research affiliates, who add their own expertise to both programming and academics.

Finally, a diligent staff conducts the operational and organizational needs of the department. They run the program's day-to-day activities, initiate new projects, and seek new grants.