PURPOSE
Mission Statement
Georgia State University’s Center for Studies on Africa and its Diaspora (CSAD) serves as a hub for fostering a dynamic exchange of cultural, scientific, economic, policy and humanities knowledge between communities, partners and Georgia State University.
The center is in the heart of Atlanta, a city known for its globally recognized leaders who shaped and institutionalized fundamental civil rights and African American heritage and for its eminent institutions (the Museum of Civil and Human Rights, the MLK Center and Library, and the Auburn Avenue Library), which work to advance the contributions of the African Diaspora to the world’s identity.
Building on the early framework for an Africana Studies Center as conceptualized by Gladys Francis, Ph.D., Elizabeth West, Ph.D., Lia Bascomb, Ph.D., and Jackie Slaton, M.P.H., at Georgia State University, the Center for Studies on Africa and its Diaspora (The Center) promises to become a leader and a catalyst for scholarly research, transdisciplinary initiatives, national and international connections in the southeast and the nation as a whole.
The Center will:
- Foster research and expressive work.
- Support innovative scholarship and sponsor fellowships.
- Facilitate critical and solution-oriented dialogue.
- Support visiting scholars and advance policy contributions targeting issues of the African diaspora across the university and beyond.
- Convene partners and disseminate proceedings through exhibits, symposia, lectures, conferences, performances, curation, publications, and other programming in alignment with its mission.
- Engage community and global partnerships to facilitate initiatives on the history and cultural contributions of the African diaspora globally
- Serve as a hub for promoting the discipline of Africana Studies locally, regionally and nationally while positioning Georgia State University’s leadership in the related global dialogue.
Vision Statement
The Center for Studies on Africa and its Diaspora (CSAD) aspires to increase worldwide understanding of the resilience of people from Africa and the African diaspora and their ongoing contributions in addressing contemporary issues with global implications.
Housed in the College of Arts and Science, the Center will support academic initiatives, artistic efforts, and public programming guided by a transdisciplinary framework which explores the engagements, worldviews, and influences of African peoples on world-wide social, economic, health and political systems.
Through these endeavors, the Center will serve as a leader and catalyst for discourse on diversity and equity to advance the research, teaching and outreach vision of Georgia State University. The center will positively impact future generations so that peoples of the African diaspora, as well as scholars in African Diasporic studies, can become equitable partners in building a more just and principled society worldwide.
CSAD Rationale
- This Center recognizes that despite the historical, national and international discourse on inequities and disparities, an incomplete narrative regarding the diverse populations of the African Diaspora prevails.
- Responsively, through its research, academic initiatives and public programming, the Center’s work will explore the profound ways in which the experiences and influences of continental and diasporic African peoples have resonated around the world and throughout history.
- The Center will invite and support scholars and other stakeholders seeking to improve our understanding and interpretation of the diversity within and across the Diaspora. In addition, through dialogue, research, dissemination and community outreach, the work will consider the rich history, cultures and experiences of the Diaspora.
- Recognizing its connection to the community in which the university resides and informed by Africana Studies and a commitment to multidisciplinary collaborations, the Center will build on the historical legacy of the local community to foster innovative and intellectual engagement with the African diasporic communities among which the university coexists.
- The Center signals a strong commitment to diversity and related programs within the College of Arts & Sciences and at Georgia State University and its work will influence future generations of scholars, practitioners and civil society as well.
Contact Us
Center for Studies on Africa and its Diaspora
Mailing address:
College of Arts & Sciences
P.O. Box 4038
Atlanta, GA 30302-4038