Mission Statement

Mission Statement

Our mission is to support the public and academic understanding of the history, culture and politics of the United States and of its place in the world. In practice, we support scholars working on the United States and its preceding or co-existent polities and cultures, including Canada.

Our vision is:
  • To enable world-class research on the United States and its place in the world, showcasing research by Oxford scholars, and bringing the world’s leading scholars to Oxford;
  • To support postgraduate and early career scholars in the humanities and social sciences;
  • To engage fully with the three core disciplines relating to American studies at Oxford (American History, Literature, and Politics), and to enable collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects;
  • To develop a broad and deep public engagement programme to promote the public understanding of the United States in the UK.
In pursuing this vision, we seek to embody the following values: 
  • Inclusivity: to be a diverse, open and supportive place for our staff and broader academic and public community.

  • Transparency: to be open and accountable to our stakeholders.

  • Intellectual excellence: to promote and enable ambitious research of exceptional quality.