Professor Joel Cabrita Named Interim Chair of DAAAS

The Department of African and African American Studies (DAAAS) is pleased to announce that Professor Joel Cabrita will serve as Interim Chair during the upcoming academic year.

The appointment comes as the department’s current chair Professor Ato Quayson begins a sabbatical leave on September 1 2026 to focus on research. Professor Cabrita will lead DAAAS’s faculty, programs, and strategic priorities as the department continues to expand opportunities for students and strengthen its contributions to African and African American Studies at Stanford.

“Professor Cabrita’s exceptional scholarship, academic leadership, and commitment to student success make her ideally suited to guide the department in the year ahead,” the chair said from Accra, Ghana, where he is currently leading the Bing Overseas Study Program Global Seminar on Urban Ghana.

Professor Cabrita is one of DAAAS’s inaugural faculty members and holds a joint appointment in the Department of History. A distinguished scholar and accomplished academic leader, she brings to the role a deep commitment to scholarly excellence, innovative research, meaningful community engagement, and student success.

She has played a central role in developing DAAAS’s new curriculum, which will launch this September. Her leadership of this initiative, along with her broad understanding of the department’s intellectual and institutional goals, has prepared her to guide DAAAS through an important year of growth and transition.

In addition to her work in DAAAS, Professor Cabrita serves as Faculty Director of the Center for African Studies. She was also recently named to the 101st class of fellows of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, an honor recognizing the significance and distinction of her scholarly contributions.