The Association for Africanist Anthropology (AfAA) unites anthropologists from many continents and subdisciplines around the common goal of promoting the study of Africa, Africanist scholarship and the professional interests of Africanist anthropologists.  

From addressing urgent matters of policy and conflict to enduring research questions about gender, economy and the nature of religious experience, the AfAA works to promote Africanist scholarship that resonates within and beyond academic, institutional and national boundaries.

The AfAA fosters communication and collaboration among colleagues in North America, Europe and Africa. It also builds connections with African diaspora studies colleagues in the US and beyond. Reaching outside the discipline, the section has addressed contemporary problems facing the Continent of Africa and its people through dialogue with non-Africanist scholars, associations and research institutions.

Despite some fluctuations in governmental and institutional support for African studies, Africanist anthropology continues to thrive intellectually. Since its founding in 1993, the AfAA has grown to support a membership of over 300 people. Past section presidents include distinguished scholars such as Elliott Skinner, Gwendolyn Mykell, Sally Falk Moore, Betty Harris and current president Benetta Jules Rosette.  

The AfAA sponsors a number of unique awards, grants and other opportunities including the Distinguished Lecture in African Anthropology series, an African Scholars writing grant and several awards and prizes for distinguished scholars, graduate members and undergraduates. This year, the AfAA has announced three new annual awards:

• The Elliott B Skinner Award – to recognize the book that best furthers the global community of Africanist scholars and the wider interests of the African continent.
• AfAA Graduate Student Paper Award – to the best graduate paper presented at the AAA annual meeting
• AfAA Undergraduate Student Paper Award – to the best undergraduate paper in Africanist anthropology

For more information, visit the AfAA website.

Photo: During the 2007 AAA Annual Meeting, AfAA Distiniguished Lecturer Gwendolyn Mikell presented a retrospective of Elliott P. Skinner’s life and career accompanied by a slideshow prepared by J.R. Osborn. Courtesy Bennetta Jules-Rosette