Teaching ethnic and racial studies

During the twentieth century a substantial body of objective knowledge about ethnic and racial relations was built up. A variety of academic disciples continue to contribute to its growth. University teaching synthesises new findings and existing understandings in the attempt to formulate general principles. Research workers and students are attracted by the urgency of the political problems associated with this field of study, yet, paradoxically, the further growth of knowledge is constrained by the way political interests narrow intellectual horizons. Teaching about the sociology of ethnic and racial relations pays too little attention to the ways in which the body of knowledge has been assembled, to its practical applications, and to the importance of comparative study for further advance.