The march of critical race theory through American institutions — and not least through American classrooms — appears to be gathering momentum. In light of this development, I’ve provided a list of articles below from across the web, all of which will foster a better understanding of this phenomenon for any interested persons or parties. They’re not all from the same perspective, but they all make a valuable contribution in their own way to readers seeking a better grasp on CRT.
From National Review:
- How Critical Race Theory Works by Cameron Hilditch. My brief explainer of CRT’s academic origins and of how and why it is practiced and applied by its proponents.
- Critical Race Theory: The Enemy of Reason, Evidence, and Open Debate by Peter J. Wallison. A critique of critical race theory’s postmodern approach to knowledge.
- Ibram X. Kendi, Prophet of Antiracism by Christopher Caldwell. A comprehensive profile of CRT’s most influential and handsomely remunerated advocate and popularizer.
- This Is Your Brain on Critical Race Theory by Charles C. W. Cooke. A case study of a recent CRT-inflected cultural inquisition.
- What David French Gets Wrong about Critical Race Theory and Public Schools by Dan McLaughlin. A collegial rejoinder to an article by The Dispatch’s David French, linked to below.
From around the web:
- The Conservative Legal Movement Is On a Collision Course With The New Right By David French. French argues on civil libertarian grounds against attempts to ban CRT from the classroom. (See also French’s argument for a civil-rights remedy to excessive classroom wokeness.)
- Does Teaching America It’s Racist Make It Less Racist? A recent episode of Jane Coaston’s New York Times podcast The Argument during which Coaston discusses CRT and related themes with John McWhorter and Michelle Goldberg.
- The War on Critical Race Theory By David Theo Goldberg for The Boston Review. A CRT-sympathetic survey of the growing opposition to CRT in American society.
- Can Academic Freedom Survive Critical Race Theory? By George R. La Noue for Law and Liberty. La Noue ponders whether or not our culture of academic freedom can survive the censorious recoil with which CRT is often greeted by the public.
- What Is Critical Race Theory and why Is It Under Attack? By Stephen Sawchuk for Education Week. A more sympathetic explainer of CRT than mine.
- Christopher Rufo’s ongoing investigative series on Woke Education for City Journal.
- The American Nightmare by Ibram X. Kendi for The Atlantic. A sampling of Kendi’s CRT-informed writings.
- Should Public Schools Ban Critical Race Theory? A debate between David French and Christopher Rufo, hosted by Bari Weiss.
- Critical Race Theory Isn’t a Curriculum. It’s a Practice. By Janel George for Education Week. A sympathetic attempt to frame CRT as a technique or method of analysis, rather than as a discrete body of knowledge.
- The Fight Over Critical Race Theory. The CRT wars were discussed extensively on this recent episode of The Dispatch Podcast.
- You Are Not a Racist to Criticize Critical Race Theory by John McWhorter. A defense of CRT’s critics against accusations of racism.
- Critical Theory in The Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. For those interested in a long-form discussion of CRT’s academic and theoretical provenance.