This theory explores the experiences of Native Americans in the United States, including land rights, sovereignty, and cultural genocide.
Historical Trauma: The intergenerational trauma that indigenous communities experience due to colonization, forced assimilation, and genocide.
Sovereignty: The political, legal, and cultural right of indigenous communities to govern themselves and protect their own interests.
Intersectionality: The study of the interconnectedness of various societal identities and how they impact experiences of oppression and discrimination.
Environmental Racism: The disproportionate impact of pollution and other environmental hazards on indigenous communities and communities of color.
Settler Colonialism: The ongoing process of settler populations establishing and maintaining control over native lands, people, and resources.
Structural Inequality: The systemic barriers and power imbalances that perpetuate inequality and discrimination against indigenous communities.
Cultural Appropriation: The act of taking elements of indigenous culture and using them inappropriately for personal gain, profit, or attention.
Racial Formation: The social and historical construction of race, and how it has been used to justify and perpetuate institutionalized discrimination.
Critical Whiteness Studies: The exploration of how whiteness operates as a dominant cultural and social identity, and how it influences power structures and racism.
Land-based Pedagogies: Teaching and learning practices that center on indigenous knowledge, traditions, and land-based experiences.
Native American Critical Race Theory: Centers on the experiences of Indigenous people in the United States, who have suffered a long history of oppression and discrimination. This approach critically examines cases of institutional racism and government policies that continue to affect Native people today.
Chicana/o Critical Race Theory: Seeks to analyze the intersecting forms of oppression and discrimination experienced by Chicanas and Chicanos, who are Mexican Americans living in the United States. This approach explores themes of racialization, border crossing, nationality, and migration.
Critical Race Theory in Hawai'i: Focuses on the experiences of Native Hawaiian people, who have experienced colonization, land dispossession, and loss of cultural traditions. This approach calls attention to how the unique history of Hawai'i complicates traditional race and ethnicity categories.
Tribal Critical Race Theory: Draws on the experiences of Indigenous Peoples in North America, including Native Americans, Alaska Natives, First Nations people in Canada, and others. This approach critically examines how settler colonialism has shaped legal frameworks and social norms, resulting in ongoing systemic oppression.
Afrolatinx Critical Race Theory: Seeks to analyze the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, and gender for individuals of African and Latinx descent. This approach critically examines assimilationist and multicultural paradigms and highlights the experiences of Black and Latinx people who experience oppression at the intersections of their identities.
Asian American Critical Race Theory: Critically examines the experiences of Asian Americans in the United States, whose experiences are often ignored or treated as a monolithic group. This approach examines how white supremacy and racism impacts the various Asian American communities.