The Leadership of the Universities

Abstract

University initiative in the development of non- Western studies stemmed from a scholarly conviction that long-term academic neglect must be overcome, reinforced by the external challenges of World War II. Even before substantial aid was forthcoming from foundations and the federal government, the academic world had taken basic steps to incorporate the non-Western world within its purview. This was done, often with foundation help, largely under the auspices of the Social Science Research Council and the American Council of Learned Societies. When direct outside assistance came, it left to the universities the fundamental task of evolving appropriate instructional and research procedures. More especially, it left to them the maintenance of scholarly standards. The major challenge confronting non-Western studies today is to be able to develop fruitful interaction with the theoretical aspects of the various disciplines, simultaneously with the introduction of non-Western subject matter into the undergraduate curriculum.