Centre of African Studies

Understanding Africa in the contemporary world

The University of Edinburgh has an important and long historical connection with Africa, and the Centre of African Studies (CAS) is a world leading centre for the study of Africa.

Founded in 1962, CAS provides interdisciplinary undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and supervision on Africa and international development. We host a vibrant research community, committed to critical and cutting-edge theoretical and empirical approaches, placing African experiences at the centre of interdisciplinary scholarship.

We are the largest centre of African studies in Europe and regularly appear at the top of UK good university guides. We deliver a range of high-quality masters programmes on campus and online. We run prestigious PhD programmes that attract students from across the world.

About

The Centre acts as a focal point for postgraduate teaching and supervision on Africa and a hub for research programmes that span all three of the University’s colleges.

Programmes

We offer a range of taught and research postgraduate programmes in African studies. Our thriving and cosmopolitan community of graduate students study for the degrees of PhD, MSc, Diploma or Certificate.

Research

We undertake cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research across the continent. Our scholars are committed to the critical study of a diverse range of topics as well as the pursuit of inclusive, ethical and equitable partnerships.

People

Meet the whole team and find out more about areas of interest of academic colleagues.

News

See the latest news from the Centre of African Studies.

Contact

We’re based in George Square at the heart of the Central campus. A lively and vibrant hub (especially in August during the Festival Fringe).

Centre of African Studies (CAS) Newsletter

Read the latest issue of the CAS Newsletter.

You may also be interested in Critical African Studies (CrAS)

The journal publishes critical interdisciplinary research about Africa and the diaspora, covering a range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. CrAS was established by the Centre of African Studies in 2009 and now more than half of the editorial and advisory board are based at African universities.

Spotlight on African Studies Ph.D. Graduates

The Ph.D. in African Studies at the University of Edinburgh is an interdisciplinary doctoral programme and one of the leading places in Europe to study political, economic, and social developments on the continent.

CAS Seminar Series

Every year, we organise a series of bespoke seminars, with outstanding Guest Speakers and Discussants.

CAS Annual Conference

Every year, CAS hosts an annual conference that draws leading experts, scholars, and professionals from around the world.

25/07/2024

Centre of African Studies

SPS academic awarded UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship

School of Social and Political Science (SPS) academic Dr Mohammad Amir Anwar has received a prestigious Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

02/07/2024

Centre of African Studies

2025 Centre of African Studies Annual Conference - Call for Papers

Call for papers now closed.
Theme: Climate Dynamics and the Politics of a Post-Carbon Africa.

Photo taken from the back of the conference room, with people seated and looking at a projector screen

21/06/2024

Centre of African Studies

SPS conference provides latest insight on security in Africa

The School of Social and Political Science (SPS) hosted a conference that provided new insights on security in Africa, focusing on the relationships between everyday actors and state-driven violence.

22/01/2024

Centre of African Studies

2024 CAS/CeSeR Annual Conference University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK April 23-24, 2024

Theme: Security in Africa: Actors, logics and futures

Registrations are now closed

29 January 2025

15:30 - 17:00

Centre of African Studies

Black Britain and Nelson Mandela (Book Launch)

This book launch will feature and foreground leading Black voices from across the academy, in discourse about Nelson Mandela and the impact of his life upon Black communities and British public life. This is a fresh take on Mandela the Man, rather than the enduring myth.

12 February 2025

15:30 - 17:00

Centre of African Studies

After Border Externalization: Migration, Race, and Labour in Mauritania

The European Commission signed a €210 million migration partnership deal with Mauritania in March 2024 to address increased arrivals on the Canary Islands. This deal is part of a long line of border externalisation policies implemented across West Africa since 2006. The book discusses the social relations and structures of EU migration policies in Mauritania, highlighting the coalescence between colonial legacy and capitalism's tendency to cast people out of development.

This event is co-badged by the Citizenship and Migration Research Network (CMRN).

26 February 2025

15:30 - 17:00

Centre of African Studies

Precarious Citizenship: Life on the Urban Margins of Lagos

Through a conceptual framework of alternative urbanisms and a series of life histories, the talk engages with themes around migration, spatial displacements and hybrid citizenships – and what this means for urban aspirations, social integration, governance, and access to resources.

School of Social and Political Science