Africa-Asia Studies

For centuries, multiple networks and the circulation of people and goods across the maritime waters of the Indian Ocean had linked diverse spaces and communities in Africa and Asia. The cross-pollination of cultural ideas is still visible through built spaces, languages, literary works, performances, spiritual cultures, and in many everyday practices. Today many African and Asian countries are mobilizing the history of these exchanges to forge lasting partnerships through economic, educational, environmental, digital, infrastructural, and healthcare projects. This 12-credit certificate will enable you to gain an integrated and grounded understanding of the past, present, and possible futures for African-Asian exchanges through a range of courses in humanities and social sciences. You will learn the history of this South-South relationship and how it gained new solidarities in the postcolonial phase after the Bandung Conference in 1955. You will study how the Africa-Asia alliance redefines globalization, global networks, political capital, and also cultural connections. This certificate will also include an optional education abroad opportunity in Africa or Asia.