01 Jan New University of California MultiCampus Research Program
The UC Center for New Racial Studies
A group of University of California faculty located at eight different
campuses has received a significant grant from the UC system to launch
the University of California Center for New Racial Studies (UCCNRS), a
Multi-Campus Research Program. The UCCNRS will make its official debut
in July 2010 and has been assured of UC system-wide support for five
subsequent academic years (until June 2015). Our Steering Committee
includes scholars from across the entire system, colleagues working in
the social sciences and humanities, area studies, public policy, and
legal studies. We hope to establish active linkages on every UC campus,
and to offer a wide range of support as well as very broad collaborative
and networking capabilities.
The mission of the Center is to support innovation in UC-based research
and teaching on race and racism, and to encourage interdisciplinary and
collaborative work focused on advancing racial/social justice. In an era
of changing racial dynamics and persistent racial/ethnic conflict and
inequality, we see these activities as more necessary than ever.
While our primary commitment is to establish a research network of UC
scholars, we also expect to forge links with other academic networks and
institutions, as well as non-academic groups who are working on issues
of race and racism. We are just getting started now, but we would like
to build strong ties with educators and community organizations
throughout the state of California, and also to connect with parallel
organizations and centers operating elsewhere, both in the US and beyond.
During our 2009-2010 planning year, we are outlining a research agenda,
developing contacts at each of the UC campuses, and initiating our first
round of grant-making — our first request for proposals (RFP) is now
available online (see below). We expect to launch the UC Center New
Racial Studies in October 2010 with a major conference that will
highlight the thematic areas on which we propose to focus our
networking, organizing, and funding efforts.
Most immediately, as noted, we are now initiating our first round of
grant-making activities, with grants available for both UC ladder
faculty and graduate/professional students. Grants will be made in our
2010-2011 area of research emphasis: “The Nation and Its Peoples:
Citizens, Denizens, Migrants.”
For more information on the UCCNRS, and to view our request for
proposals for the initial round of grants we will be making, please
visit our website:
(Please note: the website is presently a preliminary one. We are working
on designing a site that will provide considerably more resources to
users than we are able to offer during our planning year…)
With great excitement and a strong sense of the enormous tasks we all
face, we invite your interest and welcome you to work with us.