The Five Centres:
Centre of African Studies
The Centre of African Studies was founded in 1965 by pathbreaking anthropologist Audrey Richards, who came to Cambridge from Makerere University, Uganda. The Centre was established with the aim of expanding interdisciplinary research and teaching on Africa on the area studies centre model. It was developed to provide a locus for Africa-related research throughout the University. Today, the Centre is a world-class institution, home to a thriving community of students and scholars who work together with the Centre’s staff and postdoctoral fellows as well as with significant numbers of visiting students and scholars, many from African universities.
Centre of Development Studies
The Centre of Development Studies provides interdisciplinary training where content and style have kept abreast with the changing reality of the developing world, and the changing requirements of those seeking to make a career in the development field. The tradition of research and teaching on development at Cambridge goes back at least to the 1930s, when some of those who were later to be the founding fathers in the field studied here as graduate students under John Maynard Keynes. After many years operating as the Development Studies Committee, the Centre of Development Studies was formally established in January 2012.
Centre of Latin American Studies
The Centre of Latin American Studies was founded in 1966 to promote research and teaching on Latin America in the University. It is one of the five original “Parry Centres” that were established in Oxford, London, Cambridge, Glasgow and Liverpool following the report of the Parliamentary Committee on Latin American Studies, chaired by Dr J. H. Parry (1962-64). The Centre hosts Masters and doctoral students and postdocs, sponsors research projects, organises conferences and invites scholars from Latin America and universities around the world to speak at a series of events, including weekly open seminars. The library contains over 12,000 volumes and a number of important Latin American journals, together with an important archive of Latin American films.
Centre of South Asian Studies
The Centre of South Asian Studies is a world-renowned, and exceptionally vibrant, research centre. It serves all faculties and departments in the University whose teaching and research touches on the regions of South and Southeast Asia. Its rare library collection and unique archival collection of papers, films and photographs attract scholars from around the world. In addition to its core staff, it hosts several affiliated and visiting scholars. Established in May 1964, the Centre is primarily responsible for promoting within the University the study of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Burma/Myanmar, but over the last 25 years, has extended its activities to include Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong within its remit.
Centre for Gender Studies
The Centre for Gender Studies is a multi-disciplinary centre for research and teaching working with over 20 departments in the University and an international network of gender scholars. The aim of the Centre is to increase our capacity for rigorous gender analysis and to promote awareness of its relevance in historic, economic, political, artistic, social, and scientific contexts, pushing across the boundaries of disciplines and identities to promote ambitious and ground-breaking work that is able to build on the strengths of research across the University of Cambridge, and to deeply engage with the complexities of studying gender and sexuality in relation to the human subject.