What Is Ethnic Studies For?

What is it about?

The article compares Jewish-American literary studies, as described by Benjamin Schreier, with African-American studies, as described by Kenneth Warren, in order to reach a conclusion about ethnic studies in general. It argues that ethnic studies does not exist merely because a constituency demands it; it exists because the experience of the constituency it represents needs to be preserved, transmitted, and interpreted for the good of democracy.

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Why is it important?

Ethnic studies has been criticized, sometimes out loud and sometimes by quiet implication, for not being a genuine discipline or meeting rigorous intellectual standards. This article argues with two very eloquent critics of their respective ethnic studies fields in order to make a strong case for the value of ethnic studies in terms other than piety or demography.