Ethnic Studies Essay

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Ethnic studies is rapidly becoming one of the most important and relevant fields of study for analyzing today’s society. Understanding its origins and evolution is paramount when considering the discipline and its applications. Emerging in the late 1960s, ethnic studies was conceived during an era of protest and social reconfiguration. Inspired by the Civil Rights and anti-war movements of the time, “Third World” college students began protesting their universities and demanding an education more relevant and accessible to their communities (Umemoto). These efforts reflected a shift in minorities’ values and perspectives, changing from a desire to assimilate into white culture to a push for cultural autonomy (Hu-DeHart). As for specific events, the one most often associated with the birth of ethnic studies is the San Francisco State College strike of 1968, …show more content…

It took until the late 1980s for the field to regain a level of interest comparable to that of its debut campaign. This second wave of ethnic studies was brought on by a growing and increasingly diverse population of college-aged minorities, incensed by the government’s anti-immigrant and generally white-focused policies under President Ronald Reagan (Hu-Dehart). While the first wave of ethnic studies focused on four main groups (Blacks, Chicanos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans), the second wave embraced its increased diversity to form an assortment of new subcategories, including Boricua Studies, Dominican Studies, Korean Studies, Filipino Studies, and many more. The acknowledgement of these subcategories necessitated the further development of several concepts in race theory, such as identity representation and intersectionality. The immigrant population rise combined with Columbus’ quincentenary in 1992 provided sustained impetus for ethnic studies to become solidified as a genuine and lasting field of