Department of African American Studies will change name to Black Studies to reflect the breadth of scholarship and teaching

Northwestern University’s department of African American Studies will officially change its name to the department of Black Studies.

The department hopes the new name better reflects the breadth of its scholarship and teaching, which encompasses the interdisciplinary study of the formations of “race” and Blackness, including in the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere. The name change is also expected to attract more students to pursue Black studies globally. The department’s faculty noted that the term “African American Studies” is often interpreted as being specific to the United States, while the department’s actual work is broader and encompasses the culture, history, and politics of the entire modern world.

The term “Black Studies” was used in the original petition filed by Northwestern students who occupied the bursar’s office in 1968 during a protest that spurred the creation of the department. By changing its name to Black Studies, the department is continuing the articulation of the original intent of the 1968 students to create a self-actualizing department that could set the terms of its own scholarship and continue to find new means by which to uncover truth and further Black liberation.

“We have deliberated about changing our name for over a decade, but it was preparing for our 50th anniversary that made it clear that the time was now,” said Mary Pattillo, the Harold Washington Professor of Sociology and African American Studies who currently serves as the department’s chair. “Our work is expansive, beyond national or regional boundaries, and the word ‘Black’ is what captures that reach.”

The name change was voted on by the faculty in April 2022 and was informally announced at the department’s 50th-anniversary celebration last May. Pending final approval by the Northwestern Board of Trustees, the change will become official sometime in the next few months.

Read more about the department of Black Studies in the Northwestern Now story here.