Critical Race Theory

Critical race theory is an important field of academic study which was founded in America in the 1970s. The theory investigates ingrained racial inequalities in America's political and judicial systems and how they are perpetuated. Many examples of the principles of critical race theory can be found throughout America's complex history. Recently, critical race theory has also received criticism from those on the right about its place in education.

Critical race theory: meaning

Critical race theory sometimes referred to as CRT, is an academic discipline that began in 1970s America which investigates racial inequalities and how they came to be. Critical race theory is linked to the fields of law and social activism in evaluating how every avenue of life is impacted by racial biases. Theorists in the area see the modern conception of race as a social construct that is intended to suppress people of colour. They argue against the idea that people of the same race can be associated by particular behavioural characteristics.

Critical race theory is focused mainly on America. It analyses the judicial and political systems of the United States and how they are set up to potentially disenfranchise people of colour, particularly African Americans.

The law is often assumed to be neutral, so situations of racial bias are not properly taken into account. Legislation only tends to cover overt acts of racism while ignoring the common subtle incidences of racism.

Critical race theory also believes that the political and judicial systems in America are inherently racist, being originally set up to benefit white people. Racism was, and remains, a common experience for people of colour in America, and critical race theory seeks to deconstruct and challenge this.

Intersectionality is another key feature of critical race theory. Critical race theorists consider all factors in how they can impact discrimination.

Critical race theory: criticism

Founded in the 1970s, critical race theory has expanded vastly over the following decades. However, there remain certain critics that are foundational to the field.

Critical race theory: Derrick Bell

Derrick Bell (1930-2011) was one of the founders of critical race theory. Bell worked as a civil rights lawyer during the period of segregation in mid-twentieth century America. He fought tirelessly to help desegregate avenues of American life for African Americans living in the southern states.

Bell's often frustrating experiences as a civil rights lawyer fighting against racial discrimination led him to establish the study of critical race theory. This is why a significant amount of critical race theory focuses on how American law is set up to be discriminatory towards people of colour. There are certain tenants of the study that can be directly attributed to Bell's work.

Bell particularly noted that when America did begin to desegregate, it was not out of an effort to improve life for its African American citizens. Rather, it was motivated by a government, mostly made up of white Americans, who feared America's reputation as a global superpower may be damaged if it was perceived as racist.

This phenomenon is known as interest-convergence. This means that many issues of racial inequality will only be solved by the white elite if it also benefits them in some way. Bell believed that racist biases were woven into the fabric of the American legal, political, and social life and would be immensely difficult to ever fully extricate.

Critical race theory: Kimberlé Crenshaw

Kimberlé Crenshaw (1959-) is a university professor and prominent advocate and scholar of critical race theory. Crenshaw has written extensively on the subject, with some of her essays being found in the key text, Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement (1996).

Fig. 1 - Kimberlé Crenshaw, a key figure in critical race theory.

Crenshaw defines critical race theory as a way of explaining why there is still so much racial discrimination in America despite the abolishment of both slavery and the Jim Crow Laws. Racism can be extremely subtle and is part of American society. Like Derrick Bell, Crenshaw also argues that racist biases are inherent within American law. This is a key reason behind why progress for the rights of African Americans has often been slow and frustrating for activists. Quoted below, Crenshaw questions how laws formed without the input of people of colour could ever be truly fair and equal.

Critical Race Theory: An Introduction (2001)

Written by husband and wife Richard Delgado (1939-) and Jean Stefancic (1940-), Critical Race Theory: An Introduction was one of the first official academic compilations on critical race theory. It acts as an introduction to and explanation of the theory.

The text tracks the history of critical race theory from its conception in the 1970s until Critical Race Theory: An Introduction's publication in the early 2000s. It also breaks down some of the complex legal terminology often used in relation to the theory. Using real-life examples, this theoretical text explains the ways in which racist biases have become woven into American society to such a degree that many aren't even aware of them.

Critical race theory and education

In recent years, critical race theory has become a controversial topic in America in the realm of education. Many conservative commentators and Republican politicians believe the theory has begun to be taught extensively in schools, much to their displeasure. These people believe that critical race theory is biased against white people and has the potential to divide young and impressionable students.

Multiple American states have enacted legislation banning the teaching of critical race theory in schools and removing books from the curriculum that they believe promote critical race theory. These states include Florida, Idaho, and Iowa. However, in reality, critical race theory is rarely directly taught in American schools; it is much more common in universities.

Proponents of critical race theory, particularly bodies representing university professors, have strongly criticised this banning of the theory. They argue that this is reactionary and racist, inadvertently proving the theory's belief that racism is ingrained in American society. They also believe that, in banning the teaching of critical race theory, states are seeking to control how their students are able to evaluate both the present and the past.

Critical race theory: examples

An example of viewing something through the lens of critical race theory can be found in many of the experiences Derrick Bell has detailed in his work. As a civil rights lawyer in the 1960s, Bell worked extensively on desegregation cases, particularly in schools. At the time, Bell argued in favour of desegregation in the majority of cases, believing it would mark a fundamental improvement in the quality of education for African American children.

However, after developing critical race theory and reevaluating the cases he fought for in the 1960s, Bell came to somewhat different conclusions. Placing black and white students in the same schools often led to discrimination against and difficulties for the black students due to ingrained racial prejudices.

Fig. 2 - Critical race theory sees the desegregation of schools as more complex than initially thought.

One of the central reasons why Bell fought for desegregated schools was that he believed they would receive better funding. In his view because those in charge of educational funding at the time were mostly white and would wish for the white children in these integrated schools to receive a good education. Black children would also receive a higher quality of education than they previously had.

However, by the 1970s, many white parents had removed their children from these schools, placing them in all-white private schools instead. Considering this through critical race theory illuminates the ingrained biases and hierarchies that led to these issues occurring for African American children, despite the fact that desegregation was intended to be for the benefit of people of colour.