The Centre for American Studies dates back to 1973 and over more than forty years we have developed a strong research culture that matches the commitment of the University of Kent to interdisciplinary study as well as the mandate of American Studies to explore the US experience in innovative, ground-breaking ways. Our team of scholars maintain close links with a number of US research institutions, and includes several alumni of the Fulbright programme. Kent University’s Templeman Library features impressive collections on slavery, Native American culture, and photography/visual materials, as well as an extensive archive of historical newspapers.
The research cluster addresses the domestic context for, and external projection of, US power. Experts’ interests include, but are not limited to: partisanship and polarisation in US domestic politics, US foreign and national security policy in the 20th and 21st century as well as the interaction between domestic and international spheres.