Africana Studies

AFRICANA STUDIES University of Notre Dame 327 O'Shaughnessey Hall Visit the Africana Studies Department Website for more information.

"Portrait of a Youth." © Dave Heath, 1963.
Photo courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, NYC.
Photo in the colloection of the Notre Dame Snite Museum of Art.
Acquired by Notre Dame with funds provided  by the Humana Foundation Endowment for American Art.

 

About Africana Studies

At the University of Notre Dame, the Department of Africana Studies stands at the center of the study of the African American experience, Africa, and the African Diaspora-the global dispersion of peoples of African descent.  Africana Studies exposes students to historical and contemporary issues that offer a deeper understanding of the cultural diversity inherent in Afrodiasporan and African life.  Using a multidisciplinary approach, the faculty prepares students to interact and function in a diverse society.

Building on the legacy of the African and African American Studies Program, the Department of Africana Studies provides a disciplined and rigorous intellectual environment to study the histories, literatures, political systems, arts, economies, cultures, and religions of the African Diaspora and Africa.  These inquiries incorporate the expertise of faculty members from a variety of fields.  Their work furthers department-sponsored initiatives that speak to the moral, ethical, and religious concerns at the heart of Notre Dame's Catholic character and mission.