Identifying racialized knowledge through a critical race studies lens: theory and principles for the criminology textbook realm

Abstract

ABSTRACTCriminology as a discipline creates and reproduces discourses that racialize law and crime. In this theoretical examination, discourse from criminology college textbooks is explored to understand the form racialized discourse takes and what explanations are offered in these texts to make sense of race and crime data. Using a critical race studies lens, and the primary theory of color-blind racism, the study illuminates theoretically how the reification of race, the silencing/marginalizing or amplification of racial demographics, and ‘the past is the past’ storyline facilitate racialized understandings of law and crime in higher education. As remedy, the article concludes with guiding ‘principles’ to mediate and ultimately transform criminological discourse in textbooks – and the larger discipline – to justice.