African Studies Neglected

To the Editors of The Crimson:

I welcome the Harvard administration's proposed emphasis on the internationalization of the College's curriculum as expressed in its new University-wide capital campaign. For better or worse, we Americans have got to prepare ourselves to participate in a world--a global village--wholly different from the one our parents and grandparents were born into. Both the quality and range of our grasp of societies, peoples, and cultures beyond our national borders have to be extended enormously, relative to that available to our parents' and grandparents' generations.

I was, however, rather saddened that among the areas of regional studies slated for an explicit fundraising slot in the new capital campaign only the fields of Middle East and Latin America studies are currently targeted. I want to urge the Harvard administration to amend its plans in this regard, putting the field of African studies on a status of parity with Middle East and Latin American studies. The field of African studies has been badly neglected at Harvard--much more so than Middle East or Latin American studies--and we should not add insult to injury by continuing this neglect in Harvard's new capital campaign. Martin Kilson   Professor of Government   Acting Chair Committee on African Studies