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Welcome to the Institute of African Studies

Founded in 1959, the Institute of African Studies (IAS) at Columbia University is one of the oldest institutes in the United States devoted exclusively to the study of Africa. For more than six decades, IAS has served as Columbia’s central hub for Africa-focused intellectual life, providing academic leadership, programming and community building, and sustained global engagement with Africa in the world.

IAS provides academic leadership and support for African Studies across the University. The Institute showcases and supports Africa-focused teaching across schools, administers the GSAS Graduate Certificate in African Studies and the Africa Specialization in SIPA, and supports undergraduate and graduate students through advising, curricular initiatives, and academic programming. IAS also provides individualized student advisement on internships, fellowships, and experiential learning opportunities connected to Africa-related institutions and programs.

The Institute fosters interdisciplinary engagement with Africa’s histories, cultures, and global entanglements, spanning politics, business, development, public health, law, literature, religion, and the arts. IAS is a place where students and scholars think Africa in the world—examining the continent’s role in international affairs, economic transformation, climate futures, and cultural production, and foregrounding Africa’s active engagement with global systems and debates.

IAS advances this mission through curricular and co-curricular initiatives, public conversations, and sustained global partnerships. Signature initiatives include the African Humanities Project, an international collaboration focused on African humanities pedagogy and shared, modular teaching frameworks developed in partnership with institutions in Africa and beyond.

IAS is also a physical and intellectual home for students. Through shared spaces such as Africa House, the Institute supports daily student presence beyond the classroom and brings together more than ten Africa-focused student organizations each week for collaboration, fellowship, and student-led programming. IAS maintains an active public-facing presence through its website and social media platforms, highlighting Institute events and student activities as well as Africa-related programming across New York City, connecting students to a wider cultural and intellectual ecosystem.

As a result, IAS functions as critical infrastructure for African Studies at Columbia and in the New York area, sustaining academic life, student community, and global engagement with Africa across the University and beyond.