Launched in March 2018, the African Centre for the Study of the United States (ACSUS) is the first centre of its kind in Africa and was created to turn a nuanced and analytical African gaze on the United States (US). Based at the University of the Witwatersrand, ACSUS is part of a system of centres within the university, and oversight over its operations is provided under the faculty of humanities. Its current main funders are the Hewlett Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the US Embassy in South Africa.
In its short lifespan, the centre has begun to redress the imbalance in the knowledge flow between the US and Africa. The centre provides the space for intellectual and cultural exchanges, interactions and partnerships between and among those interested in exploring perspectives on the multi-faceted relations and interactions between Africa and the US. Through research, teaching and policy exchanges, ACSUS seeks to contribute to generating African-based knowledge and nuanced understandings of the US as a nation, society and global actor. As it grows, ACSUS hopes to train the next generation of African students and citizens with a sustained interest and knowledge on the US.
