When the personal became political for a grape grower's son and a former political committee chair of RAZA last year, a seemingly simple decision to serve grapes in Harvard's dining halls sparked a campus-wide debate on workers' rights that eventually made national headlines.

It seemed only natural that Adam R. Kovacevich '99 would defend his family's labor practices in light of the United Farm Workers' longstanding boycott of the fruit because of allegations of mistreatment of grape workers. Like-wise, Sergio J. Campos '00, a leader of RAZA, a Mexican-American/Latino student group, said by virtue of his Hispanic heritage, it should come as no surprise that he organized a candlelight vigil in honor of the laborers, who are often migrant Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.

In a year of renewed student activism, identity--whether it was centered around an ethnic heritage or a political tradition--was often the catalyst behind protests, boycotts and ad hoc coalitions. Identity politics motivated a coalition of ethnic student groups to demand a place in the pre-frosh extracurricular fair, a musical group to question its racial composition and a student group to bridge an internal ideological divide.

But as identity politics became increasingly prominent on campus over the course of the year, the use of the personal in pursuing the political raised its own set of concerns. Its effects can be exclusionary, some argued, while others said a primarily personal identification with a political issue makes rational debates nearly impossible.

The power of personal politics colored the campus political scene and produced a wave of identity-driven activism this year. At a university which prides itself on the diversity of its student body and the outspokenness of its students, a combination of the two promises to provide more than enough conflicting view-points or debatable perspectives to keep things interesting for a long time to come.

Protests in the Streets

When Jiang Zemin, president of the People's Republic of China, made Harvard a stop on his cross-country tour, nearly 5,000 demonstrators swarmed Cambridge's streets, creating crowds surpassed in size only by protests during the Vietnam War. (See related story, page C-3)

Steady rain and a strong wind did little to dampen the spirits of Chinese dissidents and loyal nationalists who rallied for human rights, a free Tibet, or a united China. Shouts of "Go Home, Jiang!" and "One China" intermingled over Kirkland Street, creating a dull roar inside a packed Sanders Theatre where Jiang addressed Harvard faculty and students and the national press.

Among the crowds were people like Yan Kang, a Chinese national and graduate student at Yale University, who said economic development was more important to the Chinese people than any human rights violation.

"If you're starving, you can't worry about freedom of speech," he said as he proudly waved the Chinese flag.

Kang rallied alongside protesters like Yeshi Lokitsang--a Tibetan woman wearing the chuba, a traditional Tibetan dress--who arrived at 7:30 a.m. to prepare for Jiang's 10 a.m. arrival.

"We're here for our country, for a free Tibet and also for those who are in prison in Tibet. We want to free prisoners," she said, waving a placard with the photo and name of a Tibetan political prisoner.

But a personal link to Jiang or China did not prove necessary for all who protested under the banner of Taiwanese Cultural Society (TCS) and the Students for a Free Tibet. A few Bostonians without affiliation to any identity group were present at the protests. They draped American flags over their shoulders to protest the red carpet the United States had rolled out for Jiang. And Chinese dissident Harry Wu spoke to crowds on such universal issues as the value of human rights.

"Identity was obviously a motivating factor but it wasn't the only thing that really mattered," said Chienlan Hsu '99, former TCS president, in an interview last week. "We just wanted people--regardless of their background--to be aware of the situation. A lot of people may be personally affected, but a lot of other people might also be interested, even if they are one step removed."

Still, Andrew G.W. Chung '99, former president of the Chinese Students Association (CSA), argued in an e-mail message sent out just before Jiang's arrival at Harvard, that the appeals to identity in the debates surrounding Jiang's visit reduced the Chinese president's chance of actually being heard.