Charles Ambler EL PASO- Charles Ambler, Ph.D., professor of History at The University of Texas at El Paso, has been elected president of the African Studies Association. He took office last week at the annual meeting of the association in New Orleans. 

The African Studies Association is the major professional organization for scholars, teachers and practitioners with interests in Africa. Founded in 1957, the ASA has approximately 2,000 individual members based in the United States and overseas.

The Association’s annual meeting is the leading forum globally for discussion of research and current issues related to Africa, and it attracts large numbers of scholars and other professionals from the United States, Africa, the United Kingdom and Europe. Three publications are currently produced annually: ASA News, African Studies Review, and History in Africa.

“To be chosen to lead the major scholarly society in one’s academic field, as Dr. Ambler has been, is a distinction enjoyed by only a very small proportion of scholars throughout the nation,” said Paul Edison, Ph.D., chair of UTEP’s History Department.  “Dr. Ambler’s election as president of the ASA confirms the fact that his wide-ranging and innovative scholarship on colonial Africa is highly respected and influential, both nationally and internationally.”

Ambler has a Ph.D. from Yale University. He has been a member of the UTEP faculty since 1984 and was dean of the Graduate School for 10 years. He is currently writing a book on the history of mass media in modern Africa. 
“As president (of the ASA) I plan to work to encourage collaborations between Africa-based scholars and those working in the United States and provide opportunities for academics to work closely with professionals in fields like human rights, development, conflict resolution and public health,” Ambler said.