Beginning in 1961, when the University was awarded a 5-year Ford Foundation grant to develop a program of African Studies, Indiana University has steadily built a reputation for excellence in research and teaching related to Africa. One of the most influential of its kind in the country, the African Studies Program (ASP), through the activities and roles of its affiliates, has been one of the principal ways the university has engaged with the rest of the world since the middle of the last century.
The aim of this exhibit is to understand, through the use of material from the Indiana University Archives, when and how Indiana University came to be a leading institution in the second wave of US African Studies. Specifically, the exhibit looks at the influence of the geopolitical context on ASP's founding and early development.
NB: This is an adaptation of a physical exhibit on view at the IU Bloomington University Archives, E460 Wells Library, 1320 E 10th Street, Bloomington, from September 7 - December 17, 2021.
Credits
Created by Mireille Djenno, Librarian for African Studies.