PhD in History - Africa in Washington United States | Georgetown University

Georgetown's Ph.D. program provides exceptional opportunities for aspiring historians. Students receive guidance from our renowned, award-winning History faculty while taking advantage of the university's diverse regional studies programs and interdisciplinary research centers. The program offers extensive language learning options, and Washington, D.C.'s unparalleled resources—including the Library of Congress, National Archives, and Folger Shakespeare Library—provide unmatched research materials.

For years, Georgetown students have explored Africa-focused research within Atlantic, U.S. Diplomatic, and Transregional studies. The formal Africa field, launched in 2015, capitalizes on growing academic interest in African History and Georgetown's unique strengths in this area.

Our Africanist faculty bring complementary expertise across different periods, regions, and themes. Meredith McKittrick specializes in 19th- and 20th-century southern Africa, particularly Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, and Angola, with research interests spanning environmental history, gender studies, Christianity, colonialism, and race relations. Kathryn de Luna focuses on precolonial central Africa, extending her work to eastern and southern Africa through historical linguistics. Her research explores subsistence patterns, migration, emotions, sensory experiences, environmental interactions, and innovative historical methodologies.