Colonial and Postcolonial Studies

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Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies

The University of Kent is distinctive among British universities in having attended to postcolonial literatures and British Black and Asian writing from its foundation in 1964. Since its inception the Centre has built an international reputation as a research leader in postcolonial studies. It was the first University to offer a BA in African and Caribbean Studies. It has hosted major international conferences, including the Silver Jubilee Conference of the Association of Commonwealth Literature and Language Societies (ACLALS) in 1989, sponsored a leading critical and creative journal in Wasafiri, and welcomed many visiting writers and scholars from all over the world, including Africa, India, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

In 1994, the Centre developed out of these activities and gave rise to new initiatives and research. Based in the School of English, it runs a long-established MA in Postcolonial Studies and, with the extension of its research facilities, it has attracted and supported an on-going community of postgraduate doctoral students and makes an important contribution to the school’s thriving research culture.

The Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies supports a thriving research community of academics and postgraduate students and organises a variety of conferences, symposia, workshops and events, which aim to support the centre’s varied research aims. The Centre also welcomes researchers from all over the world.