Abstract
The purposes of this chapter are to demonstrate the need for social empathy in a democratic society, identify polarization barriers, and explore how American higher education can be a leading agent for developing social empathy. The United States has seen a recent rise in political tribalism, and it now faces rising antipathy between those holding polarized perspectives. Higher education is uniquely situated to address these problems. Like a mixing bowl, college is a place where students of all backgrounds can be combined in deep discourse at a key point in their psychological development. However, higher education has struggled to fulfill its potential, as efforts toward diversity have rarely achieved their goals. Utilizing the concepts of social empathy and honest diversity, a new approach to diversity work in higher education may hold the key to establishing the sector's prominence in developing a society of diverse people who can function respectfully toward one another.
TopBackground
This section examines the recent history of purpose in higher education, specifically regarding its responsibility to society. While Thomas Jefferson notably drove early American higher education to develop patriotic citizens, this vision faded quite rapidly. The recent approaches of Veblen, Kerr, and Kimball take important steps toward our present situation. Veblen’s disinterested pursuit of knowledge posits the quest for objective truth as the only relevant consideration for higher education, with no regard for citizenship. While Kerr also set forth knowledge generation as an ultimate goal, he recognized that this enterprise is a human one. His “multiversity” described the many communities that inhabited each institution. Lastly, Kimball blended Veblen’s pursuit of knowledge with Jefferson’s civic approach, describing the bifurcated purpose that is most common in higher education today. Taking Kimball’s argument from conceptual to practical, one is left to identify what the citizenry needs and how higher education may develop that. This author will argue that society now most urgently needs citizens capable of social empathy toward others of difference.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Polarization: A shift in the social narratives and ideologies of a society toward more extreme ends of the political spectrum rather than the middle.
Inclusion: An intentional effort to welcome all identities and perspectives; typically directed toward bringing minoritized groups into full participation within an organization or society.
Diversity Work: Professional work devoted to promoting diversity.
Diversity: The presence of a variety of identities and perspectives rather than homogeneity.
Minoritized Identity: An identity that has been made subservient, marginalized, and/or oppressed by the majoritarian identity in a society or place.
Majoritarian Identity: An identity with a majority of power and that is dominant within a society or place.
Bigotry: Ascription of negative traits to an entire group based on a stereotype or a small sample.