Telling Our Story Part I: Positioning African Studies to Thrive within Changing Research and Political Landscapes

Posted: 29 Mar 2013

See all articles by Chuck Ambler

Chuck Ambler

University of Texas at El Paso

Ruby Bell-Gam

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Aili Mari Tripp

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Martha Saavedra

University of California, Berkeley

Pearl Robinson

Tufts University

Date Written: March 29, 2013

Abstract

At a time when multiple pressures challenge teaching and research in area studies, it has become more difficult to promote African Studies at the local, national, and international levels. These pressures include increased emphasis on enrollment-based evaluation and assessment, global security concerns, and the move toward international and global studies - sometimes to the detriment of deep context-based area specialization.

As libraries try to provide services, collections, and spaces tailored to the needs of their users, they face the challenge to cater to these diverse approaches which often compete for the same resources. What knowledge, understanding, experiences, and data can we bring to the table to promote and advocate for African Studies scholarship, teaching, learning, archives and libraries? This roundtable intends to open a dialogue among ASA members (e.g., faculty, graduate students, Title VI center directors, outreach directors, et al.) and a wide range of other stakeholders who benefit from or contribute to the ASA mission -- to share ideas and arguments on how to identify and implement strategies for securing a sustained commitment to African and area studies within the academy.

Given the variety of environments in which African Studies scholars work, and the many challenges to scholarly paths for supporting a liberal higher education, we hope this roundtable will stimulate dialogue and ideas to better position African Studies and area studies to thrive.

Suggested Citation

Ambler, Chuck and Bell-Gam, Ruby and Tripp, Aili M. and Saavedra, Martha and Robinson, Pearl, Telling Our Story Part I: Positioning African Studies to Thrive within Changing Research and Political Landscapes (March 29, 2013). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2241600

Chuck Ambler (Contact Author)

University of Texas at El Paso ( email )

El Paso, TX TX

Ruby Bell-Gam

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) ( email )

405 Hilgard Avenue
Box 951361
Los Angeles, CA 90095
United States

Aili M. Tripp

University of Wisconsin - Madison ( email )

716 Langdon Street
Madison, WI 53706-1481
United States

Martha Saavedra

University of California, Berkeley ( email )

310 Barrows Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States

Pearl Robinson

Tufts University ( email )

Medford, MA 02155
United States

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