About the IAS

Welcome to the Institute of African Studies

Columbia University

Founded in 1959, the Institute of African Studies (IAS) is one of the oldest and most distinctive centers in the United States devoted exclusively to the study of Africa. For over six decades, IAS has been a vital intellectual home for scholars, students, and artists committed to exploring the continent’s complexity and its dynamic role in the world.

IAS is a collaborative space for critical inquiry, creativity, and exchange. Rooted in African perspectives, the Institute brings together voices across disciplines to examine the continent’s historical legacies, philosophical traditions, religious thought, and aesthetic forms, as well as its oceanic and diasporic connections.

Through rigorous academic offerings, public programming, student-led initiatives, and global partnerships, IAS fosters interdisciplinary dialogue on the most pressing political, cultural, and ethical questions shaping Africa today.

Serving as Columbia University’s central hub for Africa-focused research and teaching, IAS collaborates widely across departments, schools, and institutes. It works to ensure that African scholarship and perspectives are not marginal—but integral—to Columbia’s vision of global education.

External Grants and Collaborations
The Institute of African Studies (IAS) has long served as a catalyst for international scholarly collaboration, securing major grants from leading institutions to support innovative, Africa-centered research and public programming. Past and current partners include Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Sciences Po, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), and Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Senegal. These collaborations have yielded a rich body of work—more than a dozen edited volumes, special journal issues, and public conferences exploring themes such as political imagination, religious life, legal pluralism, labor, and aesthetic practice. Together, they position IAS as a vital site for African intellectual exchange and transregional dialogue.

Preparing Future Africanist Scholars
IAS supports the next generation of scholars, practitioners, and public thinkers through a range of academic programs that combine disciplinary rigor with global engagement.

  • The Graduate Certificate in African Studies offers advanced interdisciplinary training and faculty mentorship for graduate students across Columbia.
  • The Africa Specialization at SIPA provides targeted coursework and advising for students in the School of International and Public Affairs.
  • An undergraduate major in African Studies is available through the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS), enabling students to explore Africa’s histories, languages, cultures, and political systems.
  • African language instruction in Wolof, Arabic, Pulaar, Swahili, Zulu, and Yoruba is offered through MESAAS and the Language Resource Center.

Interdisciplinary Partnerships and Dynamic Programming
IAS collaborates with departments, centers, and student groups across Columbia to foster rich, cross-disciplinary dialogue about Africa and its global connections. Key institutional partners include:

  • Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P)
  • Columbia Global Centers in Nairobi and Tunis
  • Sciences Po and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

Through these networks, IAS supports collaborative research groups, public events, and faculty and student exchange across Africa, Europe, and the U.S., while maintaining strong ties to institutions throughout New York City. Collaborations with student groups—including the organizers of Lumumba at 100 and Standing with Congo—underscore IAS’s commitment to programming that merges scholarship with real-world impact.