When Diversity Drops: Race, Religion, and Affirmative Action in Higher Education - Hardcover

Park, Julie J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813561698 ISBN 13: 9780813561691

Publisher: Rutgers University Press, 2013

Synopsis

Julie J. Park examines how losing racial diversity in a university affects the everyday lives of its students. She uses a student organization, the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) at “California University,” as a case study to show how reductions in racial diversity impact the ability of students to sustain multiethnic communities.

The story documents IVCF’s evolution from a predominantly white group that rarely addressed race to the most racially diverse campus fellowship at the university. However, its ability to maintain its multiethnic membership was severely hampered by the drop in black enrollment at California University following the passage of Proposition 209, a statewide affirmative action ban.

Park demonstrates how the friendships that students have—or do not have—across racial lines are not just a matter of personal preference or choice; they take place in the contexts that are inevitably shaped by the demographic conditions of the university. She contends that a strong organizational commitment to diversity, while essential, cannot sustain racially diverse student subcultures. Her work makes a critical contribution to our understanding of race and inequality in collegiate life and is a valuable resource for educators and researchers interested in the influence of racial politics on students’ lives.

About this title

About the Author:

JULIE J. PARK is an assistant professor in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Review:

"With clear writing, sound methodology, and compelling analysis, When Diversity Drops makes a strong argument that will be of interest to scholars of race, evangelism, campus life, and social theory."
(Paul Bramadat University of Victoria)

"Park’s groundbreaking work shows us what happens to students’ capacity for bridging racial divides and reconciling conflicts under either color-blind or race-conscious conditions. She provides a remarkably fresh approach that forces us to reconsider the impact of diversity." (Mitchell J. Chang University of California, Los Angeles)

About this edition

• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0813561698
• ISBN 13: 9780813561691
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 214