BLACK STUDIES IN CALIFORNIA HIGHER EDUCATION, 1965-1980

The dissertation treats the evolution of Black Studies in California higher education. It examines the impact of institutionalization on Black Studies and the influence of Black Studies on higher education between 1965 and 1980. Sources include interviews with academic and administrative personnel in and outside of Afro-American Studies, records and correspondence housed in university archives and administrative offices, periodicals, quantitative data, and relevant second literature.;The legitimacy of Afro-American Studies became the central issue confronting remaining departments. The intellectual viability of the study of blacks was unquestioned. But, the perception persisted that Black Studies was a lesser field because of its inconventional origins and the absence of a disciplinary framework. Scholars disagreed about whether Black Studies was a discipline, particularly since most programs were interdisciplinary in nature. Several scholars and organizations continue to work toward defining the field in disciplinary terms in the hope of silencing critics. Others believe that opponents will continue to perceive Black Studies as a lesser field regardless. They argued that time and energy would be better spent on research in the field instead of on defining the field.;Though institutionalization moved Black Studies in a direction which complimented the traditional academy, the academy did not remain untouched by Black Studies. The struggle for entry provided a language appropriated by other un- and under-represented groups seeking a voice in the university. The attendant debate forced a critical examination of the role, function, structure, and responsibilities of the university.;Colleges and universities created approximately six hundred programs, departments, institutes, and centers between 1969 and 1974. In spite of their unconventional route into the academy, institutional expectations and standards did not change to accommodate the agenda envisioned by activist students and scholars. Survival depended upon trust between Black Studies personnel and other segments of the university. Those programs molded in the image of their academic counterparts survived more often than those which clung to the activist agenda for uplifting and liberating the black community. By 1980, less than half of the programs were still operative.