Africana Studies is the study, research, interpretation, and the dissemination of knowledge concerning African American, African, and Caribbean affairs and culture. Using the tools of the social sciences and humanities, Africana studies examines the structure, organization, problems, and perspectives of Blacks in Africa and the African Diaspora. Africana Studies also stresses analytical interpretations and policy prescriptions for social change in African American communities and various African and Caribbean nations. The term "Africana" incorporates the three-tier interdisciplinary thrust of the department--African, African American, and Caribbean social sciences and humanities. People of African origin outside the African continent are primarily located in North America (United States and Canada), the Caribbean, South America, and Europe.
Many students ask, "Why should I take Africana Studies?" In the first place, African Americans have contributed substantially to the making of the United States. For them, however, the American dream has not been realized. Clearly, an understanding of the "whys" and the "hows" of the exclusion of African Americans from mainstream America requires both an Afro-centric perspective on the problem and a sound knowledge of the African American experience. First, African and Caribbean cultures, traditions, and values are crucial to an understanding of the vital importance of Africa as a world power in this age of global interdependence. Second, Africana Studies prepares social science majors for advanced graduate studies in international affairs, education, social work, social policy studies, and legal and professional training. In the humanities, preparation in the creative arts and literature gears students to practical development in such fields as communications, writing, teaching, theatre, and dance. With guidance from the faculty advisor, these choices can be well-defined with an undergraduate major in Africana Studies.
Contrary to popular myth, Africana Studies occupies a central--not peripheral--role in understanding modern American life and African and Caribbean linkages. Africana Studies, which is interdisciplinary, becomes a paradigm for the multicultural approach to historical, political, and economic reality. It is also critical and corrective of the inadequacies, omissions, and distortions of mainstream American education leading into the 21st century. With a strong interdisciplinary thrust, Africana Studies is committed to producing liberally educated women and men, with a lifetime dedication to working on African American, African and Caribbean affairs.
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Africana Studies
University of Pittsburgh
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Overview of Africana Studies