Abstract
Introduction
Khiara M. Bridges, a law and anthropology professor at Boston University, wrote this book to provide the readers with an overview of Critical Race Theory (CRT), its key tenets, and the strengths and weaknesses of the theory. She identifies as a critical race theorist who is passionate about CRT yet committed to acknowledging the theory’s shortcomings and presenting its critiques. Her book is divided into four parts introducing the history of CRT and its critiques, core concepts in CRT, the intersectionality of race with different variables and, finally, modern issues related to the theory.
Part I: Contextualizing CRT
In the first five chapters, the author comprehensively covers the origin of CRT starting from the protests at Harvard School of Law after the resignation of Derrick Bell and the birth of Critical Legal Studies to the inception of Critical Race Theory. This section also presents the liberal discourse, the definition of racism, and the idea of color blindness and whether it is the solution to racism. Critiques of CRT are presented and discussed including storytelling and how some scholars, some of which are critical race theorists, believe law cannot be presented by stories and doubt its effectiveness. Other critiques that are presented are related to the idea of people of color having one voice, and the notion of merit and if it truly applies to all people or is it merely a biased term that is tailor-made for the privileged majority. The final two chapters of this section cover the shortcomings of CRT and the emergence of LatCrit in the1990’s which is a movement focusing on Latino individuals’ experiences with White supremacy. This movement was ignited because of the focus that CRT put on people of color neglecting the Latino perspective. Critical Race Theory’s focus on African Americans’ experiences lead to the emergence of other critical approaches focusing on other neglected minorities, such as Asian Pacific Americans (APA), indigenous communities and women of color, and overlooked variables, such as class.
Part II: Core Concepts
The second part of the book explores key concepts related to CRT such as the definition of race and whether it is seen as a biological construct or a social construction. The chapters also discuss the role that the law played in constructing race using it against people of color. The presence of institutional and structural racism is also explored highlighting how racism represents organized and structured systems that institutions use, within them or with other institutions, against minorities to keep them marginalized and racialized.
The author highlights and defines implicit bias and the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and how it can be used to uncover individuals’ biases. She underlines the importance of understanding one’s biases in better understanding and dealing with others. IAT, however, has many opponents from both the right and left and the chapter covered the critiques provided by both sides. Some of these critiques were related to what the test measures and how it portrays racism as individualistic and naturalistic instead of being structured and institutional.
The following two chapters focus on microaggressions, the intentional or unintentional every day behaviors that individuals do which imply racist, biased or hostile acts, and their effect on people of color and White privilege, the advantages and privileges Whites get for the sole reason of their skin color, and key critiques of the term.
The final two chapters in the section discuss the relation between race and class, the role the law plays in affecting people belonging to specific groups, and intersectionality. The interaction between race and class is presented by two different ideas, how race produces class and how class produces race. Some critiques to CRT are highlighted claiming that the theory did not give enough attention to class and underlining the need to focus more on this construct and less on race. The chapter on intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, provides definition and critiques of the concept which refers to how multiple variables intersect leading to affecting certain individuals more than others. The discussion paves the way for the following section which explores the intersection between race and sexuality, religion and (dis)ability.
Part III: The Intersectionality of Race AND…
This part explores three main constructs that intersect with race which are sexuality, religion and disability. Sexuality is explored and light is shed on LGBTQ people of color and how no attention was drawn to them and their rights and how White Privilege plays a role in erasing their voice. It also discussed the relationship between race and sexuality where in some cases sexuality is used as a weapon and in others race is sexualized. The intersectionality of race and religion is also discussed highlighting race and racism and their definitions and shedding light on Islam and Judaism. Several racist attacks faced by both groups and several political incidents are recounted underlining how politics uses religion in its best interest based on the situation and on the benefits it needs to achieve by supporting one group and demonizing the other.
The final construct highlights the link between race and disability, how it is defined and how society’s mentality and way of thinking is the real barrier for individuals living with disability. The chapter also presents Critical Disabilities Studies and the points they share with CRT and the tensions between them. Racialization of disability is explored as well and how it affects people of color and is used against them to portray them as inferior and deficient.
Part IV: Contemporary Issues
The final chapters introduce five different contemporary issues which are health, affirmative action, the criminal justice system, the welfare state and education, and how they are affected by race. The author explores how the healthcare system and the laws have been designed to work against people of color and that the Civil Rights Movement was unable to achieve equality and equity for people of color in terms of receiving healthcare and equal treatment in front of law. The discussion of health is followed by a discussion of affirmative action and this chapter provides an extensive overview of its history, views of its supporters and critics and whether it can be the solution for providing people of color with a fair and equal chance to their White counterparts.
This section of the book further discusses the welfare state and how it has always been racialized and how people viewed it differently when it was racialized as White versus being racialized as Black. In addition, the author elaborates on how education just like welfare has been racialized and that the state of segregation students of color face now are similar to the times of Jim Crow.
Comments
Khiara M. Bridges started her book by reflecting on race and the interpretation of several incidents which drastically change based on who commits those incidents. She used a very interesting way of drawing the readers interest to Critical Race Theory (CRT) by starting her discussion of the topic using questions that contradict and oppose what CRT stands for. She uses this technique in all her chapters which include a questions-discussion section at the end of each chapter in which she asks questions that critically challenge the reader to think of CRT and the different points that she discussed. She objectively presents different points and offers both the supporting and opposing sides and lets the reader decide which to take and which to leave.
The book shows her extensive knowledge of CRT and the extensive research that she conducted in order to provide this comprehensive image of the theory. Her overview of CRT presented not only the history of the movement but also key concepts related to the theory over the years and contemporary issues that are interrelated with it. The book chapters were introduced and organized logically from history to core concepts to contemporary issues providing coherence and flow. In addition, the author’s objectivity in presenting CRT is excellent and it assists the reader in getting a clear understanding of the theory balancing both the supporting views and critiques. Even though she clearly stated in the introduction that she is a critical race theorist, she managed to reflect a balance of all views of CRT successfully presenting an objective overview. Nevertheless, her objectivity in discussing the theory overshadowed her voice about the ideas presented in the book. She mentioned critiques of CRT by critical race theorists but it was not clear whether she supported them or she had different views.
Critical Race Theory: A Primer provides an excellent balance between CRT and past and present issues related to it. It is suitable for multiple readers including law professors, healthcare providers, educators and graduate students who are interested in getting a deep and clear understanding of the role race and racism play in different contexts. The language used in the book is mostly accessible; however, the parts on cases and laws are somewhat difficult to understand for those outside of the field of law. It is also important to mention that the book exclusively focuses on the American context and it would have been beneficial to have a closer look at how Critical Race Theory and the variables related to it are portrayed and applied in another context/country. Nevertheless, the book would provide a great guide for those who would like to explore the theory and use it in a different context.
