The Department of African and African American Studies (DAAAS) at Stanford University focuses on the core principles of furthering excellence, encouraging critique, and pursuing the positive social transformation of people of African descent in Africa and the diaspora not only through multiple scholarly perspectives and models, but also through the study of art practices and the creation of art works.
DAAAS equips students with the skills to understand how Africa and its diasporas are distinct worlds yet bound by history and in constant conversation. The department trains students to examine how African and African-descended peoples helped build the modern world and how they will shape what comes next - from global politics and artificial intelligence to cultural and artistic innovation. DAAAS empowers students to think rigorously about the evolving meanings of identity, power, freedom, creativity, innovation, and social responsibility in an interconnected world.
Our faculty, staff, and students value the interrelated nature of the personal and the political and aim to create a community that allows for intellectual and personal flourishing. DAAAS has a core mission to foster excellence in research, education, and leadership training in the field of African and African American Studies and is a vibrant center of community among Stanford students, faculty, and staff with strong interests in the experiences of people of African descent.
