Department of Africana Studies

Source: https://africana.sas.upenn.edu/department Parent: https://catalog.upenn.edu/undergraduate/interdisciplinary/

Africana Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study devoted to the critical and systematic examination of the cultural, political, social, economic, and historical experiences of African Americans, Africans, and peoples of African descent around the world.

Our intellectual work and programing highlight the impact of Africa and the African diasporas on humanity. Through its research, academic initiatives and public programming, the Center’s work seeks to explore the profound ways in which African peoples have functioned on a global scale and how their experiences have resonated around the world throughout history.

Upcoming Events

Mar\ 17\ 2026

The Wisdom of West African Healers: Lessons for a Troubled World

Africana Lecture Series

Paul Stoller

| Max Kade, Room 329-A\ 3401 Walnut Street\ University of Pennsylvania

What can the world learn from the healing practices of West Africa in this global climate? We welcome Paul Stoller to help answer that question with his lecture, "The Wisdom of West African Healers: Lessons for a…

Mar\ 19\ 2026

2026 Africana Studies Graduate Student Colloquium

Beyond Precarity: Afrodiasporic Women's Embodied Reclamation of Labor, Land, & Future

Nadia Mosquera Muriel, Laurian Bowles

| Max Kade Center, Room 329-A\ 3401 Walnut Street\ University of Pennsylvania

The Department of Africana Studies invites you to our 13th Annual Graduate Student Colloquium. This year we welcome Laurian Bowles and Nadia Mosquera Muriel to speak on the topic, Beyond Precarity: Afrodiasporic…

Mar\ 26\ 2026

Great Decisions: U.S. Engagement of Africa

Presented by World Affairs Council of Harrisburg

Ali Dinar

| Virtual Webinar

Join Dr. Ali Dinar, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Joyce Davis, WACH President, to discuss U.S. Engagement of Africa. Africa’s geopolitical role is growing…