School of Social and Political Science

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At CAS we seek to contribute to collective efforts to centre African voices and theorising in understanding Africa and 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 heart 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.

Our students

Alumni of our programmes have gone on to a wide range of exciting careers including jobs in academia, non-profit and social enterprise, government, international organizations and beyond.

Our researchers

Researchers at CAS undertakes cutting-edge interdisciplinary research. 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. We currently host more than 20 research projects, including several large, international collaborative projects.

A cultural hub

We act as a cultural hub for Africa in Scotland and in the UK. We support the highly successful Africa in Motion annual film festival, we have close working relationships with the Scottish Parliament and Government and with local NGOs, we engage with African communities in Scotland, and we seek to forge closer relationships between Scotland, the UK, Europe and Africa.