Welcome to African and African Diaspora Studies
Study the the history, culture, and politics of Africans and African-descended peoples in a global, interdisciplinary perspective. A program for all BC students and Boston's local Black communities to connect, explore and further African legacies around the world.
Get Involved
Explore African and African Diaspora Studies through one of two lenses: Intellectual Traditions and Cultural Production or Politics and Social Inquiry
Supplement your undergraduate studies with a 19-credit minor with AADS
This student-based group's repertoire includes the breadth of musical expression in the black worship experience—spirituals, traditional gospel, contemporary gospel, as well as music of the European tradition.
Scenes from AADS
Fellowship and Scholarship Opportunities
The Amanda V. Houston Traveling Fellowship enables program majors and minors to enhance their education through summers or semesters of international study and travel.
The AADS Program offers a dissertation fellowship opportunity for applicants pursuing innovative, preferably interdisciplinary, projects in dialogue with critical issues and trends within the field.
Recognizes a Boston College junior who has demonstrated superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and involvement with the African American community and African American issues both on and off campus.
AADS News
2024-2025 New Directions Lecture Series
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Devlin 101, 4:30 pm
Dr. Giselle Anatol, University of Kansas
"Soucouyants and Sleep Paralysis: How Folklore and Fiction Help Us Understand Illness."
2024-2025 New Directions Lecture Series
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Devlin 101, 4:30 pm
Dr. Tyesha Maddox, Fordham University
A Home Away from Home: Early 20th Century Caribbean Immigration to the United States
AADS is Accepting Applications for its 2025/2026 Dissertation Fellowship Competition - EXTENDED DEADLINE JANUARY 21, 2025
Boston College's African & African Diaspora Studies Program (AADS) is accepting applications for its dissertation fellowship competition. This 2025/2026 fellowship includes a $30,000 stipend; access to highly subsidized health insurance through Boston College; a $1,500 research budget; a $3,000 moving expense allotment, and a fully equipped, shared office. The fellow must remain in residence for the 9-month academic year, deliver one research presentation, and teach one seminar course. The fellow will also receive compensation for teaching the course. The fellow is expected to attend AADS lectures and works-in-progress sessions and generally be a part of the intellectual life of the program. Submit all application materials, including letters of recommendation by Tuesday, 21 January 2025 at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) via Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/159412
Amanda V. Houston Traveling Fellowship
The Amanda V. Houston Traveling Fellowship will provide the successful recipients with up to $3000 for research-related expenses. The award can be used for either an Independent Research Project under a faculty member's supervision or a Summer Research Project that focuses on African or African Diaspora Communities. Apply here.
A world of possibilities
Program Director Lorelle Semley talks about African and African Diaspora Studies.
Global Black French Studies across Time and Space: The Formation and Future of the Field
Global Black French Studies across Time and Space: The Formation and Future of the Field is a 3-day event that will take place at Boston College from October 3-5, 2024. You can view the event details and register here.
Connect with us on Social Media
Join other students, faculty, staff, and alumni on our social media pages page to continue the discussion about the deep roots and diverse routes that have shaped African and African-descended peoples and continue to inform their lives today.