"Critical race theory (CRT) is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing how laws, social and political movements, and media shape, and are shaped by, social conceptions of race and ethnicity."
A basic understanding of critical race theory and its foundational concepts, including intersectionality, social constructionism, and the importance of lived experiences in understanding race.
Race: Race is a socially constructed concept that characterizes individuals based on physical features such as skin color or hair texture. It can have a significant influence on how people are treated in society and on their life experiences.
Racism: Racism refers to beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that support differential treatment or prejudice based on race. It can be explicit or implicit and can manifest in different forms such as individual, institutional, or systemic racism.
White Supremacy: White supremacy is a complex set of beliefs and practices that support the domination of whites over people of color. It is not just limited to extremist groups but also operates through social and political institutions.
Intersectionality: Intersectionality is a framework that acknowledges the interconnectedness of social identities such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability. It recognizes that these categories overlap and intersect, shaping individuals' experiences and opportunities in society.
Power: Power refers to the ability to influence or control others' behavior or decisions. In Critical Race Theory, power is analyzed in terms of who holds it and who is marginalized by it.
Social Construction: Social construction refers to the idea that many concepts such as race, gender, or sexuality are created and defined by society. This means that they can change over time and across cultures.
Oppression: Oppression refers to a system of inequality and injustice in which certain groups are systematically disadvantaged and marginalized based on their social identities.
Whiteness: Whiteness refers to the socially constructed concept that characterizes people of European descent in a superior position over people of color. It is often invisible to those who hold it and is normalized in society.
Legal Theory: Legal theory is the study of the principles and values that underlie the legal system. In Critical Race Theory, legal theory is examined in terms of how it perpetuates or challenges racism and other forms of oppression.
Social Justice: Social justice refers to the idea of fairness and equity in society. It involves challenging and addressing social inequalities and advocating for equal opportunities and rights for all people.
Marginalization: Marginalization refers to the process by which certain groups of people are pushed to the margins of society and denied access to resources and opportunities. It often correlates with social identities such as race, gender, or class.
Systemic Racism: Systemic racism refers to the ways in which racism is embedded in social and political systems such as education, housing, or criminal justice. It perpetuates racial disparities and inequalities.
Representation: Representation refers to how groups of people are portrayed in media, literature, or cultural artifacts. Representation can reinforce stereotypes and contribute to biases and prejudice.
Microaggressions: Microaggressions are subtle and often unintentional actions and comments that belittle or marginalize individuals based on their social identities. They can have a significant impact on individuals' mental health and well-being.
Anti-racism: Anti-racism refers to the active and intentional effort to challenge and dismantle racism and other forms of oppression. It involves acknowledging and confronting biases and advocating for social justice.
Historical Introduction: This type of introduction provides a historical overview of CRT, exploring its origins, development, and major contributors.
Conceptual Introduction: This type of introduction explores the key concepts of CRT, including intersectionality, race consciousness, systemic racism, and implicit bias.
Methodological Introduction: This type of introduction explores the methodology and strategies used by CRT scholars to analyze issues of race and racism.
Legal Introduction: This type of introduction examines the impact of CRT on legal theory and the legal profession.
Pedagogical Introduction: This type of introduction focuses on incorporating CRT into the classroom, exploring the ways in which it can be applied to curriculum and teaching practices.
Comparative Introduction: This type of introduction compares CRT to other critical race theories and movements, such as Black feminism and intersectionality.
International Introduction: This type of introduction explores the ways in which CRT has been applied to issues of race and racism in global contexts, such as colonialism and postcolonialism.
"CRT also considers racism to be systemic in various laws and rules, and not only based on individuals' prejudices."
"The word critical in the name is an academic reference to critical thinking, critical theory, and scholarly criticism, rather than criticizing or blaming individuals."
"CRT is also used in sociology to explain social, political, and legal structures and power distribution as through a 'lens' focusing on the concept of race, and experiences of racism."
"A key CRT concept is intersectionality—the way in which different forms of inequality and identity are affected by interconnections of race, class, gender, and disability."
"For example, the CRT conceptual framework examines racial bias in laws and legal institutions, such as highly disparate rates of incarceration among racial groups in the United States."
"Scholars of CRT view race as a social construct with no biological basis."
"One tenet of CRT is that racism and disparate racial outcomes are the result of complex, changing, and often subtle social and institutional dynamics, rather than explicit and intentional prejudices of individuals."
"CRT scholars argue that the social and legal construction of race advances the interests of white people at the expense of people of color, and that the liberal notion of U.S. law as 'neutral' plays a significant role in maintaining a racially unjust social order."
"CRT began in the United States in the post–civil rights era, as 1960s landmark civil rights laws were being eroded and schools were being re-segregated."
"CRT, a framework of analysis grounded in critical theory, originated in the mid-1970s in the writings of several American legal scholars, including Derrick Bell, Alan Freeman, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Richard Delgado, Cheryl Harris, Charles R. Lawrence III, Mari Matsuda, and Patricia J. Williams."
"CRT draws from the work of thinkers such as Antonio Gramsci, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and W. E. B. Du Bois, as well as the Black Power, Chicano, and radical feminist movements from the 1960s and 1970s."
"Academic critics of CRT argue it is based on storytelling instead of evidence and reason, rejects truth and merit, and undervalues liberalism."
"Since 2020, conservative U.S. lawmakers have sought to ban or restrict the instruction of CRT education in primary and secondary schools, as well as relevant training inside federal agencies."
"Advocates of such bans argue that CRT is false, anti-American, villainizes white people, promotes radical leftism, and indoctrinates children."
"Advocates of bans on CRT have been accused of misrepresenting its tenets."
"Advocates of bans on CRT have been accused of... having the goal to broadly silence discussions of racism, equality, social justice, and the history of race." Note: Due to the length and complexity of the passage, not every question may have an explicit quote matching it exactly. However, the selected quotes provide relevant information related to the study questions.