As the largest specialist in African studies in the United Kingdom, SOAS holds a place at the centre of academic research in the humanities and social sciences relating to Africa. In view of the sheer extent of research undertaken at the School, an article such as this must therefore confine itself to the briefest of reviews.

While the School is ordered academically by discipline, its very strong area orientation is reflected in, for example, the Centre for African Studies and the Department of the Languages and Cultures of Africa. These provide a focus for African research undertaken by staff of the School and for courses in African studies, at undergraduate and post-graduate levels, offered by the School.