Critical Race Theory

Basic Tenets and Dominant Themes

Scholars across disciplines have identified several dominant and unifying themes that describe the basic tenets of CRT. Based on the core CRT literature, 10 basic tenets/dominant themes can be articulated that describe CRT's conceptual foundation.

• Race is a social construct, not a biological phenomenon.
• Racism is endemic to American life and should not be regarded as an aberration.
• Racism benefits those who are privileged and serves the interests of the powerful to maintain the status quo with respect to racial stratification.
• CRT represents a challenge to the dominant social ideology of color-blindness and meritocracy.
• Racial identity and racial identification are influenced by the racial stratification that permeates American society.
• Assimilation and racial integration are not always in the best interests of the subordinated group.
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• CRT considers the significance of within-group heterogeneity and the existence of simultaneous, multiple, intersecting identities.
• CRT argues for the centrality, legitimacy, and appropriateness of the lived experience of racial/ethnic minorities in any analysis of racial stratification.
• CRT insists on a contextual analysis by placing race and racism in a cultural and historical context, as well as a contemporary sociopolitical context.
• Informing social justice efforts and the elimination of racial oppression are the ultimate goals of critical race theory.

The first basic tenet of CRT is that race is a social construct, not a biological phenomenon. It is not rooted in biology or genetics but rather is a product of social contexts and social organization. Based on the social construction thesis, CRT holds that races are categories that society creates, revises, and retires as needed. This tenet is based on scientific research demonstrating that the human phenotypic expressions used to indicate racial categorization (i.e., those physical characteristics shared by many people of a common heritage) constitute only a minute segment of people's genetic makeup and account for approximately .1% of genetic variability between races. Genetically, people are more similar than different. Furthermore, science has found no reliable link between physical traits and higher-order characteristics such as personality, intelligence, and morality. A central question that emerges from CRT is why and how pervasive social ideology continually overlooks scientific fact and attributes semipermanent characteristics to different races. CRT challenges the idea that race should be disregarded because it is not valid scientifically. Assigned racial group categorizations continue to have a strong impact on differential life outcomes, as well as on how people perceive and interact with each other. Race continues to influence the structure and functioning of a broad range of societal institutions, including education, health care, employment, media, and the legal system.

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