HBCUs require Contextual Perspectives not Reductionist Interpretations

I find it quite (conceptionally) reductionist to assume one can capture, through definition and substance as well as linguistically, something of the kind "HBCU" above some historically constituted similarities. Might it be asking too much to have colleges and universities referred to with/by this pervasive moniker to be viewed from their respective specific structures and extant definitions and aspirations. We really DON'T all look alike.

This phenomenon is made less tolerable in light of individuals who wish to (or have made) make careers on the back of this erroneous structure. They purport expertise as scholars of (ALL) HBCUs. What would it mean to be a scholar of ALL non-HBCUs? That seems so cognitively dissonant and frankly, impossible.

Historical and contextual specificity are key. Thorough going contextual articulations are the minimal requirements for redressing the structural and substantial challenges as well as accounting for the accomplishments made by each. Merits and progressive strides are particular to specific aspirations and goals.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 27, 2014 at 7:57 AM

    I would argue that the term H.B.C.U is used loosely, where most individuals don't even know what the acronym stands for.Their want to generalize a group of institutions H.B.C.U as being all the same stems from the concept of the institutions themselves all having the same characteristics, same history and same focus. However, it seems to me that this category no longer fits on most of the schools that we consider H.B.C.U.s Morehouse College is considered a premier H.B.C.U, so what schools would be considered a non-premier H.B.C.U. The concept that we can now give authenticity to some schools, to enlarge the bracket points to the fact that the only thing that these schools have in common is their is some historical commonality in the founding of the schools

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