Inclusive Scholarship: Developing Black Studies - Ford Foundation

Black Studies: An Overview
Darlene Clark Hine
During the late 1960s and early 1970s,unique historical circumstances propelled
the development of Afro-American and Africana Studies in colleges and universities.
Few of these early endeavors were the result of careful and deliberate planning
and analysis. Typically, they were established in response to political
exigencies rather than intellectual and academic imperatives. These and other
factors contributed to ongoing structural and organizational diversity. Today it
seems that no two Black Studies programs are alike. Their diversity is evidenced
in faculty size and composition, relations with university administrators and
more traditional departments, curriculum, degrees offered, budgets, spatial resources,
range of special programs,and the nature of their community outreach.
An important objective of this investigation was to examine the present
status of these programs: How well have they been supported by their
institutions? To what degree have they been able to secure productive faculty?
Have they provided their faculties with the requisite resources and
nurturing that encourage the quality teaching, research, and service required
for success in the academy?
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