This article surveys the foundation, consolidation and transformation of the field of African Studies in the United States from the 1960s to present times. It deals with the academic, political and geopolitical contexts that led to the creation of this area studies. To that end, it pays particular attention to the changes that the American society underwent in the 1960s, particularly the civil rights movement, as well as the international context, with special attention the Cold War. At the heart of the rise of African Studies were policies by the American Government and the active participation of private funding agencies such as the Ford and Mellon Foundations. The so-called area studies provided the conceptual basis on which African Studies were created. The article argues that this model has undergone changes in the past decade with the incorporation of the African Diaspora as part of African Studies.
African Studies; Africa; African diaspora