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Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies

Description

The University of Minnesota is recognized nationally as an important locus for African American and African, American Indian, Chicano, and Asian American Studies.  This group draws on the expertise and interests of those departments, but also brings in scholars from across the disciplines similarly interested in the interdisciplinary and comparative study of US race and ethnicity with an awareness of the global context in which power operates.  It is designed for students seeking more formal recognition of their interests in comparative race and ethnic studies and/or training in this growing area of study.  We offer students a focused study of the history, politics, and cultures of American Indians, African Americans and peoples of the African diaspora, Chicanos/Chicanas, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as well as an opportunity for a more in-depth exploration of the rich and transformative intellectual traditions of ethnic studies than is normally possible in the classroom alone.   The scholarly programming for the group is designed to help students explore the diversity of these communities, their relations with one another, differently intersecting and overlapping histories, and the history and present conditions of racial formation in local, national, and global contexts.

The graduate group would be compatible with a wide array of graduate programs and provides students a chance to work with faculty members drawn from disciplines across the University. We imagine it will be of interest to graduate students not only in CLA, but also CEHD, the Humphrey Institute, the Law School, CFANS, and other colleges at the University. Because interested faculty span the disciplines, we envision programming that is grounded in our separate intellectual traditions, but also crosses disciplines, grounds students in past and current debates and conversations in various fields, and assists them with preparation for their future professional careers.  In solidifying the existing informal mentoring and community relationships–as well as opening new channels for affiliations–we hope to provide a fertile intellectual space of student/faculty collaboration that will help to produce future scholars and practitioners of Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies who have had specialized training in this versatile interdisciplinary area of study.

Leadership

The primary contact for this group is Edén Torres (Chicano Studies), torre007@umn.edu. 

Membership

Please direct questions about the new interdisciplinary graduate groups to Vicki Field, Director of The Graduate School’s Office of Interdisciplinary Initiatives, field001@umn.edu or 612-625-6532.