The Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society (CASAS), established in 1997, has been conceived as a Pan-African centre for creating research networks in Africa and its Diaspora. 

CASAS undertakes the supervision, coordination and management of research work focusing on the economic, social, historical, political and cultural aspects of the development problematique in Africa.

Cultural issues and their relationship to development, and selected basic research on the structure of African society are particularly important areas of interest to the centre. In this respect, CASAS carves out a niche which is distinct from the areas of interest of other similar research bodies in Africa.

As its name implies, its research ventures are intended to be at the scientific cutting-edge of knowledge on African society, and in each instance, CASAS will deploy some of the best available African expertise and scholarship for the work on hand.

While providing relevant expertise for research which is of service to African development, it also provides scope for the acquisition of research and project implementation skills for African academics and experts. Its resource group is predominantly drawn, but not exclusively, from African universities and research institutions.

CASAS is a non-profit making trust, registered as such, under South African law. Its financial resources are sought from donor agencies.

CASAS organizes workshops, conferences, seminars and colloquia on various topics as approved by its Board of Trustees. Once a year, CASAS produces a fact-sheet on the status of its on-going activities for interested parties.

CASAS undertakes through its network, fundamental research on African society, which is published as part of a book/monograph series. The Centre is also publishing Working/Occasional Papers on themes and topics which fit the mandate of the Centre. Eventually, a journal for the study of African society is envisaged.

CASAS cooperates with, where possible and necessary, other bodies which share similar general or particular objectives.

The major area of current involvement of CASAS is the classification of African Languages on the basis of mutual intelligibility. This work is part of the CASAS Harmonization and Standardization of African Languages Project.

Study areas like archaeology, prehistory, anthropology and ethno-musicology are of interest.