Ethnic Studies More Vital Now Than Ever, Says Historian Elwood Watson
Professor Issues Call to Action, Debunks Common Myths in Higher Education
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — As America continues to grapple with Covid-19 and issues of racial injustice, historian and author Elwood Watson, Ph.D. of East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is calling on academia to prioritize ethnic studies programs to improve higher education and cross-cultural competence for the benefit of all students in today’s increasingly diverse society.
In recent articles published by Inside Higher Education, History News Network (part of The George Washington University) and Medium.com, Dr. Watson debunks common myths surrounding ethnic studies, reviews the history of such programs, and examines related issues within institutions of higher learning — such as the civil rights evolution, racial backlash against minority students, and culture wars on campus.
“Despite all the national attention on remote teaching and distance learning amid the pandemic, not enough focus has been devoted to the vital importance of ethnic studies at colleges and universities,” asserts Professor Watson, a prolific author, speaker and cultural critic.
Watson’s latest book is Keepin’ It Real: Essays on Race in Contemporary America (University of Chicago Press).
Watson cogently debunks three common myths hindering broader acceptance and implementation of ethnic studies programs in higher education which are often propagated by conservative critics:
1. Lack of sufficient academic rigor and practical value to earning a degree,
2. Radical and angry scholars who harbor anti-white attitudes and agendas, and
3. People of color and indigenous communities who believe they are already experts.
Watson forcefully argues, “Today’s political, social and cultural climate demands the inclusion of ethnic studies programs across disciplines and departments, especially considering that students of color are projected to become the majority at many colleges and universities within the next decade or sooner.”
Historian Calvin Schermerhorn of Arizona State University, notes: “Professor Watson puts the politics and history of the discipline in much needed context. The methods and analyses at the core of ethnic studies are distinctively suited to making sense of structural racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, and related events of 2020 — including the vastly disproportionate rate of African Americans and people of color affected by Covid-19.”
As Watson explains in the aforementioned articles (above and below), ethnic studies programs evolved from the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The first Ethnic Studies Department was officially established in 1968 at San Francisco State University following a prolonged and contentious strike by progressive student activists.
The National Association for Ethnic Studies was subsequently founded in 1972 to bring together scholars from diverse disciplines to promote interdisciplinary research. These twin developments led to the first national expansion of Black American Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicano Studies, Mexican American Studies, Native American Studies, Jewish Studies, Arab Studies, studies of indigenous cultures and related curriculum (some of the names have been revised in modern times, such as Hispanic or Latinx Studies).
Nevertheless, as Watson, points out: “Ethnic studies has historically faced unfettered ire and traversed a rocky road. These are often the first programs and departments to be severely downsized or terminated due to reduced budgets and any declines in the student population due to the pandemic.”
He concludes: “Fierce resistance from right-wing politicians, state legislatures and a few other conservative segments of society notwithstanding, ethnic studies programs and departments are, without question, more important now than ever.”
Watson has taught African American Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Popular Culture, and Post-World War II U.S. History for the past 20 years at ETSU. He is also the editor-in-chief of the Current Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities.
In addition to Keepin’ It Real, Watson has authored and edited:
- Outsiders Within: Black Women in the Legal Academy After Brown v Board (Roman & Littlefield, 2008)
- Violence Against Black Bodies: An Intersectional Analysis of How Black Lives Continue to Matter (Routledge Press, 2017)
- Beginning a Career in Academia: A Guide For Graduate Students of Color (Routledge Press, 2015)
- HBO Girls: The Awkward Politics of Gender, Race and Privilege (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015)
- Generation X Professors Speak: Voices from Academia (Scarecrow Press, 2013).
Watson’s new book, Talkin’ to You Bro! Real Challenges Men Face in the 21st Century (Lasting Impact Press), will be released soon.
Watson, a former contributor to HuffPost, has also written op-eds in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Seattle Times, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, US News & World Report, Diverse Education, and countless other news outlets, in addition to Medium.
