African Studies in Africa and the American Scholar

The African Studies Association was formed in 1958 by thirty-five founding fellows. At that time, African studies in the United States were just beginning to reach hesitantly beyond the half-dozen pioneer university centers in this country. The movement toward African independence was in full swing, but the political future of Africa was still uncertain. A few African universities were already in operation, but the great increase in their numbers was still to come. Even those that did exist were run almost entirely by an expatriate staff and followed European curricula. African participation in African studies was very small indeed. Now, some eight years later, the total membership of the Association is more than 1,200. Universities have sprung up all over Africa, and independence has brought an increasing rate of Africanization both in staff and in curricula. All the older African universities now have some form of African studies center, and the more recent ones were often founded with a built-in emphasis on research and teaching based on their own environment. These dramatic changes were among those that prompted the President and Board of the Association to seek closer ties with Africanist scholars in Africa. In the summer of 1965, they sent an exploratory mission to Africa to examine possible avenues of cooperation with the Africanists in Africa. The Ford Foundation generously financed the project, and Professor Greenberg appointed two members of the Policies and Plans Committee to undertake it: Professor Hance for Eastern Africa and Professor Curtin for West and West-Central Africa. This report is designed to convey to the membership the findings and recommendations.