Ethnic Clubs Take A Political Voice

Student life at Harvard can be as petrified as a Jurassic moth stuck in amber. Our campus seems to linger in the late 19th century, with preserved libraries, classrooms and syllabi. A few rare species of professor even remain from the last ice age.

Some people, fans of tradition, describe Harvard as classic, a true liberal arts college. Critics, however, complain that the educational and environmental stasis leaves them without a passion in their Harvard lives. These would-be activists have found that instigating change at fair Harvard, or from within its shaded ivy walls, requires determination and persistence.

The momentum of change does pulse through Harvard in the guise of its students--whose energy and ideas consistently upset Harvard's tendency to stay the same. Throughout 1999, this column will feature stories of committed activists on our campus. I will endeavor to give the politically and socially active--from trash collectors to blood drive organizers--the accolades they deserve.

Public activism is only part of the story. The panoply of overused 90s buzz words--from "community action" to "political activism" to "service learning"--all refer to the same value. These words describe activities that reject the status quo (and the everlurking ambert). Many students here unconsciously harbor a rebellious nature, even while dining on fine china and staring into the grave eyes of John Adams, Class of 1754 or Charles Eliot, Class of 1853. In this every-other-week column, I will attempt to revive and unearth this modicum of resistance, buried within even the most apathetic Harvard student grape-eater.

What nurtures the desire to forsake tradition and change our academic canon?

Nisha S. Agarwal '00 has proven that ethnic pride and a strong ethnic identity are effective catalysts for change. Agarwal, who is of Indian descent, says she has encountered few professors that look like her during her first two years at Harvard. She is interested in her ethnic heritage but has found few courses that explore South Asian culture, politics, history, literature and languages. Rather than settling for the Latin Middle Ages, Agarwal took action.

She and friends who had been frustrated by the same curriculum gap joined forces last spring and formed the South Asian Studies Initiative (SASI).

Members of SASI, an offshoot of the South Asian Association (SAA), hope to educate the Harvard community about a region inhabited by one-fifth of the world's population. With a sass befitting its anti-establishment stance,SASI members have taken education into their ownhands with letter-writing campaigns and otherpolitical tactics.

Communication is SASI's first step. They wantto spark interest in South Asian topics. Sanskrit101 has just not made the cut on enough students'shopping lists. Table-tents, posters and e-mailmessages advertise various courses offered by theGraduate School of Education and the KennedySchool of Government.

Publicity has also involved some networking andpoliticking. In recent issues of Diversity andDistinction and the South Asia Journal, Agarwalhas written about the inadequacy of South Asianstudies.

"In the past, SAA has shied away from politicalactivism, preferring instead to focus on culturaland social activities," Agarwal said. She lamentsthat SAA and other popular ethnic groups on campusprefer organizing dances and speakers rather thanpetitioning for departments to offer courses basedaround ethnicity.

SASI's efforts are making waves. The grouprecently met with Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R.Knowles, Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III andthe Harvard Foundation on Intercultural and RaceRelations. Agarwal says she is hopeful even for aconcentration in South Asian studies in the nearfuture.

The students' confidence in their culturalidentity and the importance of learning aboutSouth Asia has given them the guts to make wavesat steadfast Harvard. The attempt to upset anddeconstruct Harvard's notion of the academic canon(as articulated by the course catalogue) relies onSASI members' confidence that learning about SouthAsia is an integral part of the liberal artseducation.

Other groups could learn from SASI's example oftaking the Ivory Tower by storm. The group'sstrength should be a lesson to others who feelstrongly about the importance of their ethnicheritage. It's up to student ethnic organizationsto convince Harvard to change its offerings.

Harvard students have generally accepted theFaculty's determination that Mill and Plato arecentral to their education--but there's no reasonwhy Gandhi or Malcolm X shouldn't be as well.

Perhaps ethnic identity is a strong enoughmotivation to dissolve the amber petrifyingHarvard's notion of what is a veritable education.SASI's newfound voice has begun to move Harvardbeyond the now Jurassic Western tradition--asocalled diverse and representative education

Communication is SASI's first step. They wantto spark interest in South Asian topics. Sanskrit101 has just not made the cut on enough students'shopping lists. Table-tents, posters and e-mailmessages advertise various courses offered by theGraduate School of Education and the KennedySchool of Government.

Publicity has also involved some networking andpoliticking. In recent issues of Diversity andDistinction and the South Asia Journal, Agarwalhas written about the inadequacy of South Asianstudies.

"In the past, SAA has shied away from politicalactivism, preferring instead to focus on culturaland social activities," Agarwal said. She lamentsthat SAA and other popular ethnic groups on campusprefer organizing dances and speakers rather thanpetitioning for departments to offer courses basedaround ethnicity.

SASI's efforts are making waves. The grouprecently met with Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R.Knowles, Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III andthe Harvard Foundation on Intercultural and RaceRelations. Agarwal says she is hopeful even for aconcentration in South Asian studies in the nearfuture.

The students' confidence in their culturalidentity and the importance of learning aboutSouth Asia has given them the guts to make wavesat steadfast Harvard. The attempt to upset anddeconstruct Harvard's notion of the academic canon(as articulated by the course catalogue) relies onSASI members' confidence that learning about SouthAsia is an integral part of the liberal artseducation.

Other groups could learn from SASI's example oftaking the Ivory Tower by storm. The group'sstrength should be a lesson to others who feelstrongly about the importance of their ethnicheritage. It's up to student ethnic organizationsto convince Harvard to change its offerings.

Harvard students have generally accepted theFaculty's determination that Mill and Plato arecentral to their education--but there's no reasonwhy Gandhi or Malcolm X shouldn't be as well.

Perhaps ethnic identity is a strong enoughmotivation to dissolve the amber petrifyingHarvard's notion of what is a veritable education.SASI's newfound voice has begun to move Harvardbeyond the now Jurassic Western tradition--asocalled diverse and representative education