'To break asunder along the lesions of race'. The Critical Race Theory of W.E.B. Du Bois (original) (raw)
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Equity & Excellence in Education, 2002
What can critical race theory, a movement that has its roots in legal scholarship, contribute to research in education? Plenty, as it turns out. Much of the national dialogue on race relations takes place in the context of education--in continuing desegregation and affirmative action battles, in debates about bilingual education programs, and in the controversy surrounding race and ethnicity studies departments at colleges and universities. More centrally, the use of critical race theory offers a way to understand how ostensibly race-neutral structures in education--knowledge, truth, merit, objectivity, and "good education"--are in fact ways of forming and policing the racial boundaries of white supremacy and racism (Roithmayr, 1999, p. 4).
Beyond the Wages of Whiteness: Du Bois on the Irrationality of Antiblack Racism
compensation" (Du Bois's term) for citizens otherwise exploited by the organization of capitalism; that the value of whiteness depends on the devaluation of black existence; and that the bene ts enjoyed by whites are not strictly monetary-shaped subsequent e orts to theorize white identity and to grasp the (non)formation of political coalitions in the United States. The lasting impact of Du Bois's thinking was evident most recently in debates surrounding the 2016 presidential election, in which the category of the "white working class" featured prominently. Commentators wrestled with whether the actions of this demographic could be best explained by feelings of economic insecurity, racial animus, or, in a more Du Boisean vein, some potent alchemy between the two.
Critical Race Theory: A Commemoration
2011
is the Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations and chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is dedicated to bringing a fresh view of culture and society to the public through various platforms such as guest lecturing at universities, television programs (i.e., History Detectives), and interactive social media. Currently, he works on human rights initiatives by participating in public speaking engagements, international collaborations with transnational organizations, and individuals dedicated to human equality. Professor Zuberi has written extensively on race, African and African Diaspora populations. He was awarded the 2009 Oliver Cromwell Cox Book Award for his co-edited volume, White Logic, White Methods. I See A. LEON HIGGINBOTHAM, JR., IN THE MATTER OF COLOR: RACE AND THE AMERICAN LEGAL PROCESS 390 (1978) (recounting inter alia that the United States was created with the notion that all men are created equal yet "began its experiment in self-government with a legacy of more than one-half million enslaved [B]lacks-persons denied citizenship and enslaved. .. solely as a matter of color"). 2 See DERRICK BELL, AND WE ARE NOT SAVED: THE ELUSIVE QUEST FOR RACIAL JUSTICE 7 (1987) (discussing the "Constitutional Contradiction" and "the concerns that likely led even those Framers opposed to slavery to sanction its recognition in a Constitution whose Preamble pledges to 'secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity"'). 3 See, e.g., CRITICAL RACE THEORY: THE CUTTING EDGE, at xv-xvi (Richard Delgado & Jean Stefancic eds., 2d ed. 2000) (observing that CRT "challeng[es] racial orthodoxy, shak[es] up the legal academy, question[s] comfortable liberal premises, and lead[s] the search for new ways of thinking about [the United States'] most intractable, and insoluble, problem-race"); CRITICAL RACE THEORY: THE KEY WRITINGS THAT FORMED THE MOVEMENT, at xiii (Kimberld Crenshaw et al. eds., 1995) [hereinafter CRITICAL RACE THEORY: THE KEY WRITINGS] ("As we conceive it, Critical Race Theory embraces a movement of. .. scholars. .. whose work challenges the ways in which race and racial power are constructed and represented in American legal culture and, more generally, in American society as a whole.").
Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education
Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry, 2012
Does the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States prove that critical race theory is not true, or at least has overstated its contrarian claims that racism is permanent?" This is the question that co-editors Ladson-Billings, Gillborn and Taylor (2009) pose in their foreword to Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education (p. ix). In a recent New York Times article, Westen (2011) has suggested that Obama failed expectations because he has not told the right story. Westen (a professor of psychology) explained that we come to expect certain stories, usually centered around heroes and villains, and that that the kind of story that Americans were hoping to hear from Obama would have provided a clear alternative to the dominant narrative of the right. With Obama, "there was no story-and there has been none since" (p. SR, 6). Meanwhile, here in Canada, Stephen Harper is said to be systematically spinning a revisionist Canadian story, one that undermines the long-held Liberal narrative of Charter, flag, peacekeeping and multiculturalism and that revolves instead around conservative symbols of: the Arctic, military, national sports and, especially, monarchy (Taber, 2011, p. A3). Foundational to critical race theory (CRT) is stories. The truth about stories, Indigenous writer and scholar Thomas King (2003) says, is that they are all we are. Stories convey what we believe; what we imagine and experience, as well as insulate us from what we don't want to think about. Writing about the Canadian treatment of Indigenous peoples, Thomas King is not a card-carrying critical race theorist, but his method of counter-story telling, by combining critical analysis with personal storytelling, is in keeping with CRT, the foundational tenets of which are addressed in this edited volume. One of its key tenets is storytelling. As the title of Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education suggests, the volume is intended to serve as an introduction to CRT and how it can be applied to educational theory, policy and practice. Except for Taylor's introduction, all chapters were previously published, most in the 1990s, half in legal journals, the rest in journals devoted to education and qualitative research, saving an article from American Psychologist. Of the twenty chapters, six were published post-2000. As several of the contributors point out, CRT started out as a branch of Critical Legal Studies (CLS) and as such, originated as a critical response to the treatment of race in legal discourse and practice. CLS, which had its inception in the 1970s, has focused on the power relationships embedded within legal decisions. CRT concentrates on race, and arose in response to the stalling of civil rights litigation, especially from watershed cases like Brown v Board of Education. CRT has several main tenets: that racism is a permanent, normative feature of (American) society, that any apparent legal progress has been due more to interest convergence (benefits to Whites) than to genuine social justice, that racism needs to be understood historically and that the narratives of oppressed peoples stand as privileged accounts of lived experiences of racist policy and practice (Taylor, 2009). CRT carries on CLS' interest in the law but extends it to other spheres, notably, education. Like CLS, CRT defines itself as a counter-discourse that explores alternative forms of expression and evidence and is highly critical of claims of positivistic social science to neutrality.
The Role of Critical Race Theory in Higher Education
The Vermont Connection, 2010
In 1994, critical race theory (CRT) was first used as an analytical framework to assess inequity in education (Decuir & Dixson, 2004; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). Since then, scholars have used CRT as a framework to further analyze and critique educational research and practice (Ladson-Billings, 2005). This article will further explore how the five tenets of CRT can be used to analyze the different forms of social inequities reinforced through the institution of higher education. First, I will provide an explanation of CRT. Second, I will discuss how each CRT tenet contributes to inclusivity and diversity in higher education. Third, I will address criticisms of CRT. Finally, I will share how CRT can further benefit higher education. An Historical Overview of Critical Race Theory During the mid-1970s, CRT emerged from the early work of Derrick Bell and Alan Freeman, who were discontent with the slow pace of racial reform in the United States (Delgado, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998). According to Gordon (1990), CRT originated from the critical legal studies (CLS) movement (as cited Despite the substantial impact race has in generating inequities in society and educational institutions, race continues to be untheorized (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). Critical race theory (CRT) is an analytical framework that stems from the field of critical legal studies that addresses the racial inequities in society. This article provides an analysis of CRT in the context of diversity and inclusivity in higher education. In addition, this article also draws from the work and research done by critical race theorists who support the use of CRT in education reform and research.
W.E.B. Du Bois and the Basic American Negro Creed: The AAAE, Censorship, and Repressive Tolerance
2007
The authors examine W.E.B. Du Bois Basic American Negro Creed and argue that its exclusion from the Carnegie Corporation funded Bronze Booklets series represents an example of repressive tolerance by the AAAE. W.E.B. Du Bois is arguably the brightest star in African American intellectual history. He is frequently cited in adult education literature for his concept of double consciousness along with his educational and socio-political theory of the talented tenth. His oft cited book, Souls of Black Folk originally published in 1903, is an intellectual and literary masterpiece. Yet Du Bois can be understood as a complex figure who continually reassessed evolving American racial, political, and economic dynamics and to formulate a progressive educational, political, and economic agenda. As Du Bois grew older, his views became increasingly radical and controversial which served to marginalize him not only from mainstream liberal minded whites but also among the black intellectual commun...