African Studies Association

The African Studies Association (ASA) is an association of scholars and professionals in the United States and Canada with an interest in the continent of Africa. Started in 1957, the ASA is the leading organization of African Studies in North America. The associations headquarters are Rutgers University in New Jersey. The ASA holds annual conferences

In 1968, the Black Caucus of the African Studies Association, led by John Henrik Clarke, founded the African Heritage Studies Association.

Awards given by ASA

Herskovits Award

Main article: Herskovits Prize

The Herskovits Award is given annually for the best scholarly work (including translations) on Africa published in English in the previous year and distributed in the United States. The award is named after Melville Herskovits, one of the founders of the ASA.

Distinguished Africanist Award

Beginning in 1984, the association has awarded the Distinguished Africanist Award.[1] In 2000, 2001, 2010 and 2011 two awards were given. Winners include:

  • 1994 Leopold Sedar Senghor[2]
  • 1995 Ali A. Mazrui
  • 1996 Thandika Mkandawire
  • 1997 Akin Mobogunje
  • 1998 Ivor Wilks
  • 1999 Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch
  • 2000 Bernth Lindfors
  • 2000 J.H. Kwabena Nketia
  • 2001 Martin A. Klein

Presidents of ASA

Presidents of the ASA are elected annually by the membership. They include:[3]

Publications

Publications include an annual journal: History in Africa: A Journal of Method.

African Heritage Studies Association

The African Heritage Studies Association is (or was) an offshoot of the African Studies Association, and was founded in 1968 by the ASA's Black Caucus and led by John Henrik Clarke.[6][7][8]

Notes

  1. "Distinguished Africanist Award 2009" African Studies Association
  2. The award to Senghor was not without controversy. Bensaid, Alexandra and Whitehead, Andrew (1995) "Literature: Award to Senghor Triggers Debate" IPS-Inter Press Service, 18 April 1995, accessed via the commercial service Lexis/Nexis, 30 December 2008
  3. ASA, Presidents of the African Studies Association
  4. Elected ex-officio.
  5. Died before taking office.
  6. Eric Kofi Acree. "John Henrik Clarke: Historian, Scholar, and Teacher". Africana Library, Cornell University. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  7. Diamond, Sara (2001). "African Heritage Studies Association". In Nina Mjagkij. Organizing Black America: an encyclopedia of African American associations. Taylor & Francis. pp. 16–17. ISBN 0-8153-2309-3. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  8. Martin, William G.; West, Michael Oliver (1999). Out of one, many Africas: reconstructing the study and meaning of Africa. University of Illinois Press. pp. 99–106. ISBN 0-252-06780-0. Retrieved 2009-06-27.

External links