Black Studies

Black studies, also known as African American studies and Africana studies, consist of the scientific and humanistic study of people of African descent in the United States and other regions of the world. Black studies is interdisciplinary; its earliest roots are in history, sociology, literature, and the arts. The field's most important concepts, methods, and findings are still centered within these disciplines.

Black studies consists of research; courses at the high school, college, and university levels; and organizational structures such as programs, centers, and departments. This entry focuses on the historical development of research in Black studies in part because the research aspects of the field are much better documented in the literature than course offerings. Also, there were few course offerings outside of historically Black ...