African American Studies - Definition and Overview

African American studies, or Black studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the history, culture, and politics of African Americans. Taken broadly, the field studies not only the cultures of people of African descent in the United States, but the cultures of the entire African diaspora, from the British Isles to the Caribbean. The field includes scholars of African American literature, history, politics, religion and religious studies, sociology, and many other disciplines within the humanities and social sciences.

Departments of African American studies were first created in the 1960s and 1970s as a result of student and faculty activism at many universities. The creation of programs and departments in Black studies was a common demand of protests and sit-ins by minority students and their allies, who felt that their cultures and interests were underserved by the traditional academic structures.

Scholars in African American studies

Well-known authors in the field include:

• Kwame Anthony Appiah
• Angela Y. Davis
• W. E. B. DuBois
• Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
• bell hooks
• Cornel West