1. Race & Ethnic Studies:
Subject Area Intro
Melissa Cardenas-Dow
LIS523LE – UIUC GSLIS
October 21, 2011
2. Definition & History
Definition: the interdisciplinary study of people through the
lens of race and ethnicity – 2 volatile components of identity
History: rooted in the American civil rights movement, 1960s
San Francisco State College (now University), 1968 – first
higher ed institution to have a School of Ethnic Studies (now
College)
Mission: transformative, corrective, redemptive, generative
(Scott, 2008, p. 19)
3. Focus & Scope
Focus: histories, experiences, struggles, practices and
cultural products of peoples of color from their own
perspective(s); challenge to ethnocentric angle of traditional
social science disciplines
Scope:
see above
taps into questions asked by other disciplines: sociology,
anthropology, psychology, education, political science, literature,
film, philosophy, history, religious studies, art, economics,
epidemiology
4. History, in depth
1960s-1970s: Focus was on transformation of
postsecondary intellectual and physical space
subject focus on American racial/ethnic relations, corrective
emphasis
1980s-1990s: One focus: interrogation of white privilege –
whiteness studies; movement towards comparative ethnic
studies, racial/ethnic relations in different nations,
transnational studies, postcolonial/post-structuralism
2000s-2010s: continue international, comparative ethnic
studies, transnational/diasporic studies
5. Subfields & Related Discipline
Subfields:
Black/African American Studies
Asian/Asian-Pacific American Studies
Latino/a and Chicano/a Studies
Native American Studies
Related disciplines:
Women’s and Gender Studies
Peace and Justice Studies
Cultural Studies
6. Approaches/Methodologies
Approach depends on object of study, research question
Literature – literary analysis
History – historiography
Sociology – quantitative, qualitative approaches
7. Key Professional Organizations
National Association for Ethnic Studies (NAES)
Founded in 1972
Affiliated with American Historical Association (AHA)
Mission: interdisciplinary forum for scholars and activists interested in
ethnicity
American Studies Association: Committee on Ethnic
Studies
Keeps ASA appraised of scholarship in ethnic studies
MELUS: The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic
Literature of the United States
Mission: develop the definition of American literature to include
Native American, African American, Asian and Pacific American and
ethnically specified European-American literary works, authors and
contexts
8. Resources
Encyclopedia of Racism in the United States
Encyclopedia of Race and Ethnic Studies
Ethnic Newswatch
Bibliography of Native North Americans
America: History & Life
JSTOR
ICPSR
Sociological Abstracts
9. Works Cited
Butler, J. E. (2008). Ethnic studies and interdisciplinarity. In T. P. Fong
(Ed.), Ethnic studies research: Approaches and perspectives
(243-256). Lanham, MD: Altamira Press.
Forbes, J. D. (2008). Ethnic or world studies: A historian’s path of
discovery. In T. P. Fong (Ed.), Ethnic studies research:
Approaches and perspectives (59-91). Lanham, MD: Altamira
Press.
Okihiro, G. Y. (2008). Crafting ethnic studies. In T. P. Fong (Ed.),
Ethnic studies research: Approaches and perspectives (33-57).
Lanham, MD: Altamira Press.
Scott, O. L. (2008). Ethnic studies: Preparing for the future. In T. P.
Fong (Ed.), Ethnic studies research: Approaches and
perspectives (17-32). Lanham, MD: Altamira Press.
Editor's Notes
“There are several common themes arising from the various analyses of the history of ethnic studies. In summary fashion these are:Ethnic studies has a transformative mission. The most critical objective of the discipline is to bring about changes in what is taught about the social, historical, and cultural experiences of ethnic groups. The objective of research and teaching in ethnic studies is to provide a deeper and wider reservoir of knowledge and perspectives about the experiences of ethnic groups. Ethnic studies disciplinarians optimistically believe that with accurate knowledge about people of color, stereotypes, fears, prejudices, and discrimination will be reduced. Some scholars believe that new knowledge will bring about a change of consciousness which will compel the learner to become actively engaged in changing the negative aspects of one’s institutional life.Ethnic studies is a corrective and redemptive project. This is another dimension of the transformative mission. Ethnic studies teaching and scholarship attempts to fill in the gaps in knowledge and correct misconceptions, half truths, and lies about ethnic groups. Ethnic studies scholarship also advances new paradigmatic approaches to both study and teaching which speak to the creative and innovative qualities of this discipline.Ethnic studies has generative capacities. As noted immediately above, ethnic studies researchers and teachers have developed and used social science and literary models, among others, to explain, describe, and represent ethnic group experiences. These models include those highlighting the resilience of ethnic families; borderlands constructs in literature and social science, which provide unique tools for knowing more about the insider experiences of Latinas; and diasporic and transnational models that allow us to draw connections and disconnections between the experiences of earlier generations of Asian and Pacific Island immigrants and their descendents. Such models also assist with developing more inclusive understandings of the world populations and their cultures and how groups have responded to the predations of other groups.
Focus:What social groups do they focus on? People of colorScope:What does someone researching in your discipline look at? What kinds of questions do they ask?
How has this field changed over time?
Subfields:What are some examples of this in your area? Black/African American StudiesAsian/Asian-Pacific American StudiesLatino/a and Chicano/a StudiesNative American StudiesRelated Disciplines:What other social sciences are related to your topic?
Approaches:Is there a dominant methodology used when researching in your field? Are there any standards for research?
Where is the research being done in this area? If you are researching in this field where would you find others doing similar research?
Encyclopedia of Racism in the United StatesPublisher: Greenwood PressYear: 2005Encyclopedia of Race and Ethnic StudiesAuthor: Ellis CashmorePublisher: RoutledgeYear: 2004Ethnic NewswatchProQuest330+ publications: newspapers, magazines, journals from ethnic and minority publicationsBibliography of Native North AmericansEBSCOhost141K+ citations