Chancellor

It is a privilege to serve as Chancellor of Global Studies University (GSU) and Dean of The Africa Institute. I warmly welcome our cohorts of graduate students to our Master’s and Ph.D. programs.

 
As you begin your journey with us, I encourage you to embrace the spirit of inquiry, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary engagement that defines GSU. Sharjah, a minaret of education, culture, and the arts, provides an inspiring backdrop for your academic and personal growth.

It was indeed an honor to be entrusted with leading the creation of an institution designed to address the historic ties between Africa and the Arab world, focusing on Africa and its diasporas. Since then, The Africa Institute, which was established in 2018, has made significant strides in advancing knowledge within the humanities and social sciences, while fostering valuable scholarly connections across regions. Building on this progress, the establishment of the Global Studies University (GSU) has marked the next significant step in our academic vision. Organized as a network of semi-independent but interconnected institutes, the GSU’s major objectives are to explore the histories, cultures, and peoples of various regions, further broadening its global impact and deepening its commitment to interdisciplinary research and education.

Our graduate academic programs are designed to challenge conventional paradigms and introduce innovative, interdisciplinary methodologies. With our inaugural MA program in Global African Studies and Ph.D. program in Global Studies, we are equipping students with the tools to approach regional issues through a global lens. Our diverse faculty brings a wealth of expertise and perspectives, reinforcing our commitment to advancing scholarship and empowering future leaders to address the pressing challenges of our time.

I am deeply proud to be part of GSU’s journey and excited about the future we are building together. Our university is committed to nurturing critical thinking and scholarship that transcends traditional academic boundaries. I warmly invite students, scholars, and partners to join us in shaping a brighter, more interconnected global futures.
 

Best wishes,
Professor Salah M. Hassan
Chancellor, Global Studies University

Salah M. Hassan is the Chancellor of Global Studies University (GSU) and Dean of The Africa Institute, Sharjah. He has been leading The Africa Institute since its establishment in 2018, and in 2023, he assumed his dual role as Chancellor of GSU and Dean of The Africa Institute, underscoring his pivotal role in shaping the academic and cultural vision of these institutions.

In addition to his roles in Sharjah, Hassan is a Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Africana Studies at Cornell University, where he also serves as the Director of the Institute for Comparative Modernities (ICM) and a Professor of Art History and Visual Culture. His academic and curatorial expertise spans several decades, contributing significantly to the fields of Africana studies and contemporary African art.

Hassan’s academic career includes serving as the Madeleine Haas Russell Professor at Brandeis University in the Departments of African and Afro-American Studies and Fine Arts (2016-2018). He is an accomplished art critic, curator, and editor, known for co-founding and editing Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art (Duke University Press). He serves on the editorial advisory boards of Atlantica, Journal of Curatorial Studies, and the International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, and has been a consulting editor for African Arts.

As a scholar, Hassan has authored, edited, and co-edited numerous books, including Darfur and the Crisis of Governance: A Critical Reader (2009), Diaspora, Memory, Place (2008), and Ibrahim El Salahi: A Visionary Modernist (2012). He has contributed essays to various journals, anthologies, and exhibition catalogues, and guest-edited a special issue of SAQ: South Atlantic Quarterly titled African Modernism (2010).

His curatorial work includes prestigious international exhibitions such as Authentic/Ex-Centric at the 49th Venice Biennale (2001), Unpacking Europe in Rotterdam (2001-02), and 3×3: Three Artists/Three Projects at Dak’Art (2004). More recently, he curated Kamala Ibrahim Ishag: States of Oneness at the Serpentine South, London (2023) and Gavin Jantjes: To Be Free! A Retrospective 1970–2023 at the Sharjah Art Foundation (2023). His exhibitions for the Sharjah Art Foundation include The Khartoum School: The Making of the Modern Art Movement in Sudan, 1945-2016 (2016-2017) and When Art Becomes Liberty: The Egyptian Surrealists (1938–1965) (2016).

Hassan’s contributions to the field have been recognized with several grants and fellowships, including the J. Paul Getty Postdoctoral Fellowship and grants from the Sharjah Art Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation, and Prince Claus Fund. In 2021, he was honored as the Distinguished Professor by the College Art Association (CAA), the oldest and largest scholarly organization for history and criticism of the visual arts.