Our Mission

The African Studies Program (AFSP) in the Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service was established in 1980.

Our core strength is political life broadly conceived. Our constant aim is to maintain and expand our comparative advantage in research and teaching by fostering an understanding of politics and economic development, conflict management and resolution, and issues of governance and institutions. Moreover, we believe that these areas of emphasis must be based on a foundation of understanding Africa’s peoples, cultures and languages. In considering both the historical and contemporary aspects of political life, we seek to illuminate the ways in which Africans at the national, community and individual level interact with a changing global environment – and vice versa.

The African Studies Program’s focus on each of these broad themes is enhanced by significant external relationships. Moreover, because of our location in Washington, DC, the African Studies Program enjoys unique opportunities to leverage our proximity to a myriad of global institutions and actors with interests in Africa. In addition, each of our core themes also interfaces with the key strengths of Georgetown University, an institution that actively promotes dialogue within and across communities, reflections, and greater understanding of the world in order to prepare its students for leadership and service.