Harvard University

Ethan Yeh ][ Luis Hernandez

Ethan Yeh ][ Harvard created its Afro-American Studies Department over 30 years ago in response to student protests and a sit-in. Protests for ethnic studies specifically in Asian American, Latino, and Native American studies began then as well, and has continued to this day. The Afro-American Department itself did not begin to flourish until the arrival of Professor Henry Louis Gates in the early 1990's.
Harvard's official stance on ethnic studies is that it is "inherently comparative." Our Dean of Faculty of Arts and Sciences goes on to say that, "the creation of narrowly-defined administrative or curricular entities in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences would be misguided. Our faculty members do not favor limiting the study of ethnicity to a handful of groups whose own self-definition has been changing over time and will no doubt continue to do so. Nor is there a good reason to limit, or to privilege, the study of some ethnic groups at the expense of others." This means that they believe ethnic studies at Harvard should be a broad array of classes that are within existing departments (except for the Afro-American Department). As a result, there is no institutional support for ethnic studies because departments have their own interests and often do not provide resources specifically for ethnic studies classes, nor do they hire ethnic studies or minority professors.

In 1993, an ad-hoc Faculty Committee on Ethnic Studies (CES) was created as a result of massive protests over linking grade inflation to the admission of minority students. Today, the CES is still an ad-hoc committee and has little power and responsibility. They invite 2 visiting professors each year for 1 semester, organize conferences and forums related to ethnic studies (these are rare), and provide 3 faculty research grants of $2500 for the creation of new ethnic studies classes each (these were not given out last year because of poor administration). This year, they began a new thesis prize for Ethnic Studies and are considering a certificate in ethnic studies (similar to a minor, it was actually supposed to begin in Fall 2001).

The student support for ethnic studies has been cyclical over the years. Most of the accomplishments in ethnic studies at Harvard have been the result of student initiatives. Today, student support is not particularly strong, but it is growing in light of recent discussions concerning a Latino Center and the certificate.

Luis Hernandez ][ The status of ethnic studies at Harvard is both daunting and promising. Following the recent controversies surrounding President Summers meeting with Professor Cornel West and his refusal to seriously consider the proposal for a Latino Studies program, it seems that the opportunity is pressing to formalize consensus towards an end that shall foster diversity and/or ethnic studies. However the reality of the present moment as well as historical data points to the fact that ethnic studies initiatives have been underscored by blatant opposition and administrative reservations. Within the last few years what seemed to be promising moment at Harvard for success on the ethnic studies front, resulted in a grave and disappointing realizing that we were farther from reaching our goals than we had thought. Primarily resulting from support from the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations and as always at the urgency of student activism, the Committee on Ethnic Studies was considering a certificate program in Ethnic Studies. As the academic year was ending, students were lead to believe that the committee approved the certificate program, but returned to campus in the fall to observe that a new Ethnic Studies Committee had been appointed (thus changing the composition of the committee) and the new members reconsidered the proposal and voted against the certificate program. Prior to the certificate proposal, in 1995 the academic affairs committee submitted a proposal to the College for an ethnic studies concentration but was dismissed by the Dean on financial grounds and philosophical concern about methodology for studying a variety of ethnic groups. It seems that the administration's position continues to advocate studying ethnicity within the current departmental structure of the faculty, and thus it is evident that the powers that be at this institution favor maintaining the status quo at Harvard. We have been knocking on the Master's door for over three decades, and have not even received room at the maids quarters. In light of this, we remain hopefully that this sleeping giant will lead once again even if at the cost of a rude awakening. Should history teach us a lesson, either Harvard is right, or we are insightful.