Created in 1992 in order to stimulate research in African American Studies in Europe, the Collegium of African American Research (CAAR) promotes intellectual collaboration through the creation of an international and interdisciplinary research and teaching network. Established by a group of European-based scholars heavily indebted to the social movements that led to the creation of Black Studies in the United States, the Collegium sees its purpose as following in this intellectual and political tradition. As a consequence, CAAR is dedicated to the production of scholarship that acknowledges the centrality of the imperial and colonial legacy of the West. Thus, the Collegium’s mission remains the production and promotion of knowledge of the Black Diaspora, its interrelatedness with and its effects on our present systems of knowledge (humanities, social sciences, natural sciences), which, traditionally, have failed to incorporate the insights and perspectives of the Black experience. To carry out its mission, CAAR remains committed to the elaboration of multicultural and antiracist epistemologies, doing so, by fostering interdisciplinary and transnational academic practices.
Founded at the University of the Sorbonne Nouvelle in 1992 and incorporated at the University of Rome later that year, the Collegium selected Professor Maria I. Diedrich of the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster, Germany – who had been instrumental in launching the organization – as its inaugural president. Since its inception, CAAR has sustained a forum of visibility for younger scholars allowing them to engage in interdisciplinary exchange in various fields related to African American Studies. Presently, the Collegium features a membership of more than 300 scholars from over 25 countries. CAAR sponsors conferences, organizes workshops, provides research opportunities, and supports publications, most prominently its FORECAAST Series (Forum for European Contributions in African American Studies).
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2009 Conference Website
