Understanding critical race theory as a framework in higher educational research

Abstract

This paper reviews the existing literature to discuss how critical race theory has been applied as a theoretical framework to higher educational research in the United States and what its contributions are. To provide necessary context, I will discuss race and racism in the United States, the background of US higher education in relation to race, the emergence of critical race theory and its application in US higher education. Race and racism in the United StatesRace has been long studied by social scientists and as a result there is no single theory of race and race relations in the literature. Rather, most scholars have approached race and race relations in a critical way as it differently affects the life-chances of people from different races. Within this context, I have to first acknowledge that this paper does not claim that critical race theory (CRT) is an umbrella theory which covers all influential studies of race and racism in the United States. I have instead intentionally selected studies in educational research that have adopted CRT as the theoretical and methodological framework. Studies on race and racism indicate that, as a social construct, race has real and important consequences in US society and significantly affects the life-chances of people of color. The social structure of American society has been racialized, meaning that the United States is a society 'in which economic, political, social, and ideological levels are partially structured by the placement of actors in racial categories or races' (Bonilla-Silva 1997, 469). Our social relations are affected explicitly or implicitly by this racialized social structure. More importantly, this racialized social structure still seems to favor whites, as it was in the past, and people of color in comparison with whites do not have equal access to better *

Students’ understanding and support for anti‐racism in universities

“…Sixteen percent of BAME students reported experiencing racism in the NUS research (NUS & Universities UK, 2019), whilst in the present study, 50% reported experiencing any kind of discrimination. These results eschew university's colour-blindness by adding to the concrete body of evidence that BAME students are disadvantaged within universities in the United Kingdom (Brown & Jones, 2013;Bunce et al, 2019;McDuff et al, 2018;NUS & Universities UK, 2019;NUS, 2012) and elsewhere (Savas, 2014;Sol orzano & Yosso, 2002). Given universities typically have established support systems already in place (including assessment and mental health support), widening the accessibility of these to all students, especially BAME students, can be an immediate and significant anti-racist gain.…”

“…mitigation and who cannot; Salter & Adams, 2013). This unique knowledge can valuably inform anti-racism (Aguirre, 2000;Savas, 2014;Sol orzano & Yosso, 2002;Yosso, 2013).…”

International minority ethnic academics at predominantly white institutions

“…CRT frameworks have been used to analyze the experiences and outcomes of minority ethnic academics particular to the complex contexts of higher education in the USA (Hiraldo 2010;Savas 2014). Scholars utilize a CRT analysis to highlight the experiences of minority ethnic academics in PWIs (Delagdo et al 2002;Espino 2012;Griffin et al 2014); critique institution diversity policies (Aguirre 2000;Donahoo 2008); analyze intersections of race, class, and gender among faculty (Sulé 2014;Solorzano 1998) and document the racial climate in universities (Harper 2012;Orelus 2013;Pittman 2012).…”

“…Leonardo asserts that, "whiteness can be demarcated and fenced off as a territory of white people which keeps Others out (2002,38). The articulation of White boundaries and territorial racial stratifications serve as barriers that prevents IME academics from becoming fully engaged scholars in their departments and universities (Hiraldo 2010;Savas 2014). Moreover, the presence of non-White faculty challenged the normativity of Whiteness, and placed intellectual spaces, as epi-centers of White property, in jeopardy of being corrupted, and in need of protection.…”

Using Qualitative Tools as Interventionist Research Strategies for Emancipation

“…Thus, the intersecting theoretical concepts through which the study was designed and analyzed include critical race theory; sociological notions of capitals, understandings of structural and symbolic violence; and theories of agency and emancipation. Critical race theory was employed to highlight how the intersection of multiple social identities impact student experiences (Crenshaw, Gotanda, Peller, & Thomas, 1995; Mclaughlin & Whatman, 2011; Savas, 2014; Solorzano & Yosso, 2000, 2002). An analysis of different forms of capitals allowed us to discern the many forms of capital required for success, linking economic, cultural, and social capital structures to inequalities, while emphasizing the individual in larger systemic influences (Bourdieu, 1997; Bourdieu & Wacquant, 1992; Farmer, 1996; Putnam, 2000; Swartz, Harding, & De Lannoy, 2012).…”