Bolivian-Inspired Social Activism

With his long black hair tied in a ponytail and his small, round-rimmed spectacles, Joshua D. Kirshner '96-'97 looks like the stereotypical student activist.

An anthropology concentrator and avid guitarist (his current musical preference is South American folk, but past styles have included rock and "funky reggae"), Kirshner is writing his senior thesis on the Andean folk musicians who perform in Harvard Square.

Kirshner has been involved in volunteer work since his high school days in Nashville, Teen. In ninth grade, he became involved with the city's first recycling efforts, an activity he describes as "pretty formative."

When he arrived at Harvard in 1992, Kirshner became active with a Hillel service program called the Progressive Jewish Alliance (PJA).

Combining his interest in music and public service, Kirshner participated in the PJA's Bread and Jams project, which mixed student musical performances with meals for the homeless.

After spending a year at the University of Bolivia, Kirshner became involved with Cambridge affordable housing advocates. Impressed by the level of student involvement in the Bolivian land rights issue. Kirshner decided to focus his volunteer efforts on tenant rights when he returned to Harvard last fall.

He enrolled in Sociology 96: "The Community Action Research Project." As part of the class, he volunteered with the Eviction Free Zone, a Cambridge tenant-advocacy group.

Kirshner says he was inspired by the fact that his instructor, Marshall Ganz, gave course credit for public service.

Kirshner also founded the Harvard Community for Affordable Housing last fall but became less involved with the group this spring, as he devoted more time to researching his thesis.

After he graduates next winter, Kirshner plans to spend a year touring South America and comparing styles of regional folk music, a project made possible by the Sheldon Fellowship he won this year.

Beyond that, Kirshner says he is considering public service or "legal stuff."

Or, he says, "Maybe I'll become a musician."