Trouble in the Promised Land

Abstract

Thisarticle explores three questions about the relationship between ethnic studies programs and the quest for incorporation among faculty of color in the academy. The queries it raises include the following: First and foremost, are African American studies departments and other ethnic studies programs necessarily a sign that faculty and students of color are incorporated? Second, in what direct and indirect ways do faculty of color serve as their own stumbling blocks in the quest for incorporation? Third, as a result of emerging diversity in American universities, should racial and ethnic characteristics serve as the primary measure of interest in and commitment to ethnic and racial studies programs? Above all, in a nutshell, the argument suggests that charity begins at home, and also that faculty of color must get their own houses in order, especially as they demand fair and equitable treatment from college and university administrators.