History and Africa and Black Diaspora

The history of Africa and the Black diaspora is one of the most important and long-neglected fields in the humanities. It encompasses the rich complexity of African civilisations across millennia, the catastrophic history of the transatlantic slave trade and its legacies, the experience of African and Caribbean communities in Britain and the Americas, and the ongoing cultural, political, and intellectual traditions that connect these experiences. Studying it seriously changes how you understand both world history and the present.

At the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, this joint degree with history gives you the critical and archival skills of historical scholarship alongside deep engagement with Africa and the Black diaspora as fields of study in their own right. SOAS has distinctive expertise in this area, with scholars who specialise in African history, culture, politics, and diaspora studies, and you will benefit from an academic environment that takes these traditions seriously and brings them into dialogue with broader historical methods and debates. You will study across periods and regions, engaging with precolonial African history, the slave trade, colonialism and resistance, independence and postcolonial politics, and the contemporary Black diaspora in Britain, the Americas, and beyond.

The programme includes a foundation year, making it accessible to students who are motivated by these questions but need additional preparation for degree-level study. The typical entry tariff is 120 UCAS points, and the programme is studied full time over three years of the main degree.

Graduates go on to careers in academia, journalism, the civil service, international development, the arts, education, heritage, and cultural organisations. Further study options include postgraduate research in African history, diaspora studies, postcolonial studies, and related fields.