Partners

The African Studies Center collaborates with partners across Michigan State University, throughout the United States, and around the world to support research, teaching, outreach, and engagement related to Africa. Through these partnerships, the Center connects faculty, students, institutions, and communities to strengthen academic and professional networks and expand opportunities for learning and collaboration on Africa and the African diaspora.

Africa Past and Present Podcast (Afripod)

• ASC is a leader in innovative and public-facing scholarship. Through its partnership with historian Peter Alegi, the Department of History, and MATRIX: The Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences, the Center helps sustain and expand Africa Past & Present (Afripod), launched in 2008 by Peter Alegi and Peter Limb and recognized as the world's longest-running African studies podcast. The podcast brings African perspectives and scholarship to global audiences through innovative digital storytelling and public engagement.

Chinese in Africa/Africans in China CA/AC Research Network

• The Chinese in Africa/Africans in China (CA/AC) Research Network aims to promote debate, cutting-edge research, and ideas about China-Africa issues by supporting and encouraging the work and communication of a large and rapidly growing network of international scholars, students, media professionals, and practitioners who are engaged in this growing field.

Afrobarometer

• ASC promotes equitable partnerships that support African leadership and institution building. Afrobarometer, widely regarded as the gold standard for public opinion research in Africa, was founded in 1999 through a collaboration involving Michael Bratton of MSU and African partners. Today, the Africa-based and Africa-led network conducts surveys in more than 40 countries, providing trusted data that informs governance, democracy, and development across the continent. The partnership exemplifies ASC's commitment to strengthening African institutions while maintaining MSU's role as a global hub for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

MSU Museum Cultural Collections

• ASC advances understanding of Africa through strategic partnerships that transform scholarship into public engagement. Through its collaboration with the MSU Museum Cultural Collections, faculty, students, and community partners, ASC uses exhibitions, collections, research, and educational programming to tell compelling stories about African arts, cultures, histories, and knowledge systems. These efforts extend the Center's outreach mission by enriching learning opportunities across Michigan and beyond, fostering cross-cultural exchange, and connecting diverse audiences to African perspectives and experiences. The partnership reflects ASC's leadership in making African Studies accessible, relevant, and impactful for students, educators, policymakers, and the broader public.

Linking All Types of Teachers to International Cross-Cultural Education (LATTICE)

• This innovative, nationally recognized project brings together 30 Michigan teachers with 20 International education students (one-third of whom are from Africa) for nine monthly four-hour sessions each year. These sessions focus on international, global, and cross-cultural themes.