Journal of African Cultural Studies

Journal of African Cultural Studies is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are African history and culture studies, African studies and sociopolitical issues and Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies, together about 38% of its articles. Its main subfields are Anthropology and Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)

The Journal of African Cultural Studies publishes leading scholarship on African culture from inside and outside Africa, with a special commitment to Africa-based authors and to African languages. The journal focuses on dimensions of African culture, performance arts, visual arts, music, cinema, the role of the media, the relationship between culture and power, as well as issues within such fields as popular culture in Africa, sociolinguistic topics of cultural interest, and culture and gender. We welcome in particular articles that show evidence of understanding life on the ground, and that demonstrate local knowledge and linguistic competence. We do not publish articles that offer mostly textual analyses of cultural products such as novels, films and cultural festivals, nor articles that are mostly historical or those based primarily on secondary (such as digital and library) sources. As a leading journal in African humanities scholarship, we favour single-authored submissions. For further details, please contact the editor. The journal has evolved from the journal African Languages and Cultures, founded in 1988 in the Department of the Languages and Cultures of Africa at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. Since 2019 it has been published in association with the International African Institute, London. Journal of African Cultural Studies publishes original research articles. The journal also publishes an occasional Contemporary Conversations section, in which authors respond to current issues. The section can include discussions and invited response or position papers. We welcome proposals for future Contemporary Conversations themes. The journal does not generally publish interviews. Peer Review Statement All research articles and discussions in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, with initial editor screening and anonymized double anonymous refereeing. Introductions are assessed by the Editor but are not externally peer reviewed

From the journal's Aims & Scope

Research area (LetPub): Multiple

Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 3, United Kingdom 2, United Arab Emirates 1, Kenya 1 (7 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website · 2026-09-30

CAS Journal Ranking

JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website

• JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
• CiteScore Q1 · 2025

Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website

Database indexing

SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub

International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub

Indexing the journal's website claims

CAB AbstractsPublisher website

Other: Abstracts in Anthropology, African Studies Abstracts Online, MLA Directory of Periodicals, MLA International Bibliography

As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.

Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.

Impact

Impact factor

0.66LetPub · 2026-09-13

Impact factor (publisher) 2025

0.7Publisher website · 2026-09-30

5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025

1Publisher website · 2026-09-30

CiteScore 2026-06

1.6LetPub · 2026-09-13

CiteScore (publisher) 2025

1.6Publisher website · 2026-09-30

SJR 2026-06

0.27LetPub · 2026-09-13

SJR (publisher) 2025

0.27Publisher website · 2026-09-30

SNIP 2026-06

1.2LetPub · 2026-09-13

SNIP (publisher) 2025

1.2Publisher website · 2026-09-30

h-index

41OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

i10-index

228OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

2-year mean citedness

1.12OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

Self-citation rate

28.6%LetPub · 2026-09-13

Share of gold OA articles

12.62%LetPub · 2026-09-13

Volume

Articles per year

23LetPub · 2026-09-13

Downloads per year (publisher)

98,000Publisher website · 2026-09-30

Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.

Figures by source

Acceptance rate (publisher)

7%Publisher website · 2026-09-30

Submission to first decision

16 daysPublisher website · 2026-09-30

First decision after review

69 daysPublisher website · 2026-09-30

Acceptance to publication

27 daysPublisher website · 2026-09-30

Peer review

Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website

Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.

A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.

The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.

Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

ISSN

1369-6815

Electronic ISSN

1469-9346

Society / sponsor

International African Institute

Latest issue on the website

Volume 38, Issue 2 (2026)

Official links

• Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
• Submission system ↗Publisher website
• Special issues ↗Publisher website