The African Studies Association (ASA) is an association of scholars and professionals in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 with an interest in the continent of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. Started in 1957, the ASA is the leading organization of African Studies in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. The associations headquarters are Rutgers University

Rutgers University

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...

 in New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. The ASA holds annual conferences

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

John Henrik Clarke

John Henrik Clarke , born John Henry Clark, was a Pan-Africanist American writer, historian, professor, and a pioneer in the creation of Africana studies and professional institutions in academia starting in the late 1960s.He was Professor of African World History and in 1969 founding chairman of...

, founded the African Heritage Studies Association.

Herskovits Award

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. In 2000 and 2001 two awards were given. Winners include:

1984 Gwendolen M. Carter Gwendolen M. Carter Gwendolen Margaret Carter was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1906. She contracted polio at home as a child, losing the use of her legs for life despite therapy and the care of her physician father. She completed her B.A. degree in history at the University of Toronto in 1929 and received a second... 1985 Elliott Skinner Elliott Skinner Elliott Percival Skinner was an American anthropologist and United States Ambassador to Republic of Upper Volta.... 1986 Jan Vansina Jan Vansina Jan Vansina is a historian and anthropologist specializing in Africa. He is the foremost authority on the history of the peoples of Central Africa.-Biography:... 1987 Joseph Greenberg Joseph Greenberg Joseph Harold Greenberg was a prominent and controversial American linguist, principally known for his work in two areas, linguistic typology and the genetic classification of languages.- Early life and career :... 1988 Elizabeth Colson 1989 Roland Oliver Roland Oliver Roland Oliver is Emeritus Professor of African history at the University of London. Throughout a long career he was an eminent researcher, writer, teacher, administrator and organiser, who had a profound effect on the development of African Studies in the United Kingdom and who has made an... 1991 Howard Wolpe Howard Wolpe Howard Eliot Wolpe III was a seven-term U.S. Representative from Michigan and Presidential Special Envoy to the African Great Lakes Region in the Clinton Administration, where he led the United States delegation to the Arusha and Lusaka peace talks, which aimed to end civil wars in Burundi and the... 1992 Philip D. Curtin Philip D. Curtin Philip De Armind Curtin was a Professor Emeritus at Johns Hopkins University and historian on Africa and the Atlantic slave trade... 1993 J. Ade Ajayi Jacob Ade Ajayi Jacob Festus Ade Ajayi, commonly known as J. F. Ade Ajayi, is a Nigerian historian and a member of the Ibadan school, a group of scholars interested in introducing African perspectives to African history and focusing on the internal historical forces that shaped African lives...

1994 Leopold Sedar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor was a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who for two decades served as the first president of Senegal . Senghor was the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. Before independence, he founded the political party called the Senegalese... 1995 Ali A. Mazrui 1996 Thandika Mkandawire 1997 Akin Mobogunje 1998 Ivor Wilks Ivor Wilks Ivor G. Wilks is a noted British Africanist and historian, with a specialism in Ghana.Wilks is an authority on the Ashanti Empire in Ghana. He has also written on Chartism in Wales, and the working class movement in the nineteenth century. His work examines the nature of power and leadership, and... 1999 Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch 2000 Bernth Lindfors 2000 J.H. Kwabena Nketia 2001 Martin A. Klein

2001 Bethwell Ogot 2002 Peter Geschiere 2003 Joseph E. Harris 2004 Francis Deng Francis Deng On 29 May 2007, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Dr. Francis M. Deng of the Sudan as the new Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, a position he holds at the level of Under-Secretary General.... 2005 John Hunwick John Hunwick John Owen Hunwick is a noted professor, author, Africanist. He has published several books, articles and journals in the African Studies field. He is currently Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University having retired in 2004 after 23 years of service.-Biography:Born 1936 in Chard, Somerset, in... 2006 Bogumil Jewsiewicki 2007 John Francis Marchment Middleton John Francis Marchment Middleton John Francis Marchment Middleton was a British professor of anthropology in the United States, specializing in Africa. He was director of the International African Institute in 1973-1974 and in 1980-1981. His work on the Lugbara religion is considered a classic of African anthropology.Middleton... 2008 Edmond Keller Edmond Keller Edmond Joseph Keller, Jr. is an American Africanist. A graduate of Louisiana State University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Keller is a professor in the political science department at UCLA. In 2008, Keller was awarded the Distinguished Africanist Award by the African Studies...

Presidents of ASA

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

1957-1958 Melville Herskovits, Northwestern University Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees.... 1958 Gwendolen M. Carter Gwendolen M. Carter Gwendolen Margaret Carter was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1906. She contracted polio at home as a child, losing the use of her legs for life despite therapy and the care of her physician father. She completed her B.A. degree in history at the University of Toronto in 1929 and received a second... , Smith College Smith College Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters... 1959 William O. Brown, Boston University Boston University Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers... 1960 Cornelius W. deKiewiet 1961 William O. Jones, Stanford University Stanford University The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San... 1962 Vernon McKay, Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States... 1963 E. Franklin Frazier E. Franklin Frazier Edward Franklin Frazier , was an American sociologist. His 1932 Ph.D. dissertation The Negro Family in Chicago, later released as a book The Negro Family in the United States in 1939, analyzed the cultural and historical forces that influenced the development of the African American family from the... , Howard University Howard University Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States... 1963 James Smoot Coleman James Smoot Coleman James Smoot Coleman was an American scholar, professor and administrator in political science, but more specifically in African studies... , University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses... 1963 Hans Wolff Hans Wolff Leutnant Hanns Joachim Wolff was a World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories.Wolff served with FA 216 until 6 July 1917, when he was reassigned to Jasta 11. He was wounded in action on 14 August, and again on 23 November. On 18 March 1918, Wolff shot down and killed his first... , Michigan State University Michigan State University Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,... 1964 Paul J. Bohannan Paul J. Bohannan Paul James Bohannan was an American anthropologist known for his research on the Tiv of Nigeria, spheres of exchange and divorce in the United States.-Early life and education:... , Northwestern University Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees.... 1965 Joseph H. Greenberg, Stanford University Stanford University The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San... 1966 Rupert Emerson Rupert Emerson Rupert Emerson was a professor of political science and international relations. He served on the faculty of Harvard University for forty-three years and served in various U.S government positions.After serving in the U.S. Navy from 1917-18, he received a B.A. from Harvard University in 1922, then... , Harvard University Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country... 1967 William A. Hance, Columbia University Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the... 1968 James S. Duffy, Brandeis University Brandeis University Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it... 1969 Benjamin E. Thomas, University of California University of California The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University... 1970 L. Gray Cowan, Columbia University Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the... 1971 Philip D. Curtin Philip D. Curtin Philip De Armind Curtin was a Professor Emeritus at Johns Hopkins University and historian on Africa and the Atlantic slave trade... , University of Wisconsin 1972 Carl G. Rosberg, University of California-Berkeley 1973 Immanuel Wallerstein Immanuel Wallerstein Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein is a US sociologist, historical social scientist, and world-systems analyst... , McGill University McGill University Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university... 1974 Absolom Vilakazi, The American University 1975 John Marcum John Marcum John Marcum was the co-founder of ARCA and a NASCAR official from Toledo, Ohio, United States. He raced in the 1930s and 1940s. He owned cars entered in two NASCAR Grand National races with one Top 10 finish. He was inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994... , University of California-Santa Cruz 1976 Victor Uchendu, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system... 1977 Edris Makward, University of Wisconsin–Madison University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866... 1978 J. Gus Liebenow, Indiana University Indiana University Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000... 1979 Ali Mazrui Ali Mazrui Ali Al'amin Mazrui is an academic and political writer on African and Islamic studies and North-South relations. He is an Albert Schweitzer Professor in the Humanities and the Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York.-Education:Mazrui... , University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... 1980 Peter Gutkind, McGill University McGill University Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university... 1981 Norman Bennett Norman Bennett Norman Osborn Bennett , sometimes known as Nobby, was an English sportsman. He played rugby union for England,... , Boston University Boston University Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers... 1982 Richard Sklar, University of California-Los Angeles

1983 M. Crawford Young M. Crawford Young M. Crawford Young is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.-Education:He received his B.A... , University of Wisconsin–Madison University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866... 1984 Laura Bohannan, University of Illinois at Chicago Circle 1985 Robert J. Cummings, Howard University Howard University Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States... 1986 Gerald J. Bender, University of Southern California University of Southern California The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university... 1987 Aidan Southall, University of Wisconsin–Madison University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866... 1988 Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, Howard University Howard University Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States... 1989 Simon Ottenberg, University of Washington University of Washington University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University... 1990 Ann Seidman, Clark University Clark University Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates... 1991 Martin A. Klein, University of Toronto University of Toronto The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada... 1992 Edmond J. Keller, University of California-Los Angeles 1993 David Robinson, Michigan State University Michigan State University Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,... 1994 Edward A Alpers, University of California-Los Angeles 1995 Goran Hyden Göran Hydén Göran Hydén is a noted Africanist and Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida. He was educated in his native Sweden at the University of Lund and at Oxford University and the University of California, Los Angeles... , University of Florida University of Florida The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906... 1996 Iris Berger, State University of New York at Albany 1997 Gwendolyn Mikell, Georgetown University Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States... 1998 Sandra Greene, Cornell University Cornell University Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions... 1999 David Wiley David S. Wiley (sociologist) David S. Wiley is professor of sociology at Michigan State University . He served as director of the MSU African Studies Center 1978-2008 and previously of the African Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison . He has worked in Zimbabwe in the 1960s and, with research on urban and... , Michigan State University Michigan State University Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,... 2000 Lansine Kaba, University of Illinois 2001 Catharine Newbury, University of North Carolina University of North Carolina Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century... 2002 Allen Isaacman, University of Minnesota University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557... 2003 Beverly Grier Beverly Grier Beverly Grier is a noted American academic in the study of child labor Sub-Saharan Africa and former professor of government at Clark University. Her most recent published book was "Invisible Hands: Child Labor and the State in Colonial Zimbabwe" by Heinemann, 2005... , Clark University Clark University Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates... 2004 Sandra T. Barnes, University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution... 2005 Bruce J. Berman, Queen's University Queen's University Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England... 2006 Joseph C. Miller, University of Virginia University of Virginia The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson... 2007 Pearl T. Robinson, Tufts University Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France... 2008 Aliko Songolo, University of Wisconsin–Madison University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866... 2009 Paul Tiyambe Zeleza Paul Tiyambe Zeleza Paul Tiyambe Zeleza is a Malawian historian, literary critic, novelist, short-story writer and blogger at The Zeleza Post -. He is currently president of the African Studies Association... , Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...

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

John Henrik Clarke

John Henrik Clarke , born John Henry Clark, was a Pan-Africanist American writer, historian, professor, and a pioneer in the creation of Africana studies and professional institutions in academia starting in the late 1960s.He was Professor of African World History and in 1969 founding chairman of...

..