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July 2021
"The critical race theory (CRT) movement is a collection of activists and scholars engaged in studying and transforming the relationship among race, racism, and power. The movement considers many of the same issues that conventional civil rights and ethnic studies discourses take up but places them in a broader perspective that includes economics, history, setting, group and self-interest, and emotions and the unconscious."
- Richard Delgado and Jean Stefanic (Critical Race Theory: An Introduction)
As CRT media coverage intensifies, this guide will help you understand CRT's origins and development.
selector: Ida Martinez
Recent Headlines
- What is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack?Education Week 6/2/21
- Legislating Against Critical Race TheoryInside Higher Ed June 9, 2021
- Why are States Lining Up to Ban Critical Race Theory?University World News 6/12/21
- GOP Lawmakers Intensify Effort to Ban Critical Race Theory in SchoolsPew Charitable Trusts 6/14/21
State Bill Tracking
The Hill is tracking states that are taking steps to ban critical race theory.
Key Figures in the History and Development of CRT
CRT Expansion & Inclusiveness
Critical Race Theory began with a focus from an African-American lens. Scholars then branched out to examine CRT from other perspectives. Bodies of literature and examination now include:
LatCrit
A stated goal is "to develop a critical, activist, and inter-disciplinary discourse on law and policy towards Latinas/os."
TribalCrit
Created by Bryan Brayboy "to address Indigenous peoples' experiences with colonization as well as racism."
AsianCrit
Analysis specific to the racism and oppression experienced by Asian-Americans. (key article)
DisCrit
Explores the intersectionality of race and disability. (key publication available through MelCat)
QueerCrit
Studies the intersectionality of race and sexual orientation. (key article)
Critical White Studies
CRT scholars examine the history and evolution of whiteness. (key book)
ClassCrits
"A network for critical analysis of law and economic inequality."
Watch
Content warning: Graphic violence at 16:20 mark.
More Resources & Acknowledgements
Several librarians have created comprehensive research guides on CRT. I acknowledge their work by referencing many of their sources on this guide, and by linking to their guides here:
Critical Race Theory | Ellie Campbell | University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Critical Race Theory and Ethnic Studies Guide | Denisse Solis | University of Denver
Cultural Competency and Research Positionality: Critical Race Theory | Robert Crown Library | Stanford Law School
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Books
Critical Race Theory History/Development:
Critical Race Theory: An Introduction by Publication Date: 2017This third edition is updated to include the Black Lives Matter movement, the presidency of Barack Obama, the rise of hate speech on the Internet, and more. It not only covers a range of emerging new topics and events, it also addresses the rise of a fierce wave of criticism from right-wing websites, think tanks, and foundations, some of which insist that America is now colorblind and has little use for racial analysis and study.
Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings that Formed the Movement by Publication Date: 1995The foundational work on CRT. Edited by its principal founders and leading theoreticians, this was the first book to gather the movement's most important essays. Includes contributions from scholars Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Patricia Williams, Dorothy Roberts, Lani Guinier, Duncan Kennedy, and many others.
Crossroads, Directions, and a New Critical Race Theory by Publication Date: 2002Its opponents call it part of "the lunatic fringe," a justification for "black separateness," "the most embarrassing trend in American publishing." "It" is Critical Race Theory. But what is Critical Race Theory? How did it develop? In this volume, thirty-one CRT scholars present their views on the ideas and methods of CRT, its role in academia and in the culture at large.
Critical Race Theory: Cases, Materials, and Problems by Call Number: KF 4755 .B76 2003 (Law Library)Publication Date: 2003This law school casebook examines cases through the analytical framework of critical race theory. It also examines cases where race is not always obvious, showing how race is often relevant even where it may initially appear not to be relevant. Plus, the book provides cases where the courts have applied a critical race theory perspective.
Critical Race Theory: Special & Related Topics:
Critical Race Theory Matters: Education and Ideology by Publication Date: 2010Critical Race Theory Matters provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of the influential CRT movement, shining its keen light on specific issues within education.
Black Athletic Sporting Experiences in the United States: Critical Race Theory by Publication Date: 2017Through the lens of Critical Race Theory, this volume analyzes sport as the platform that reflects and reinforces ideas about race within American culture, as well as the platform where resistance is forged against dominant racial ideologies.
Knowledge Justice: Disrupting Library and Information Science Through Critical Race Theory by Publication Date: 2021In this volume, BIPOC scholars use critical race theory to challenge the foundational principles, values, and assumptions of Library and Information Science and Studies in the U.S. They propel CRT to center stage in LIS, to push the profession to understand and reckon with how white supremacy affects practices, services, curriculum, spaces, and policies.
Race, Racism, and American Law by Publication Date: 2004Examines the role of racism in a society with growing disparities in income, wealth, and opportunity.
White by Law: The Legal Construction of Race by Publication Date: 2006Looks at how legal definitions of race and racism perpetuate racial inequality. This book inspired a generation of critical race theorists and others interested in the intersection of race and law in American society. 10th anniversary edition.
The Derrick Bell Reader by Publication Date: 2005Reflects the tremendous breadth of issues that Bell has grappled with over his phenomenal career, including affirmative action, black nationalism, legal education and ethics.
Key Articles
Bell, D. A. (1995). Who's afraid of critical race theory? University of Illinois Law Review, 1995(4), 893-910.
Brooks, R. L., & Newborn, M. (1994). Critical race theory and classical-liberal civil rights scholarship: distinction without difference? California Law Review, 82(4), 787-846.
Carbado, D. W. (2011). Critical what what? Connecticut Law Review, 43(5), 1593-1644.
Crenshaw, K. W. (1988). Race, reform, and retrenchment: Transformation and legitimation in antidiscrimination law. Harvard Law Review, 101(7), 1331.
Davis, P. C. (1989). Law as microaggression. Yale Law Journal, 98(8), 1559-1578.
Harris, C. (1993). Whiteness as property. Harvard Law Review, 106(8), 1707-1791.
Lawrence, C. (1987). The id, the ego, and equal protection: Reckoning with unconscious racism. Stanford Law Review, 39(2), 317-388.
Leong, N. (2013). Racial capitalism. Harvard Law Review, 126(8), 2151-2226.