New Directions in Critical Race Theory and Sociology

Abstract

In the late 20th century, a group of activists, legal scholars, and practitioners started writing about a key concern: the persistence of racial inequality despite the formal legal changes wrought by the Civil Rights Movement (Delgado & Stefancic, 2017). These scholars formed a school of thought, Critical Race Theory (CRT), undermining the race-neutral pretentions of the law. Drawing on analyses of key legal cases like Brown v. Board (see Bell, 1980, 2005), these scholars show the persistence of racism in the United States. As an explanatory framework, CRT’s utility goes well beyond the legal system, explaining both change and continuity in the racial order. Insights from CRT have shaped scholarship in the fields of education (Ladson-Billings, 1995, 1998), philosophy (Mills, 1997, 2017), and a host of other fields. Although CRT has made inroads with sociologists, inspiring incisive analyses of the state (Bracey, 2015), legal institutions (Moore, 2008), and historical changes in racial ideology (Bonilla-Silva, 1997), CRT is not yet a reigning sociological paradigm.