Examining the ideologies now sweeping the nation
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CounterCurrent: Critical Race Theory and New Racism
Examining the ideologies now sweeping the nation
CounterCurrent is the National Association of Scholars’ weekly newsletter, bringing you the biggest issues in academia and our responses to them.
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Category: Racism; Reading Time: ~2 minutes
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** Featured Article - Critical Race Theory and New Racism: Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here by Ray Sanchez ([link removed][UNIQID])
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You’ve heard of racism. And you’re probably familiar with its “systemic,” “institutional,” and/or “structural” forms which, many allege, pervade every aspect of American society and history. Maybe you’re also privy to critical theory ([link removed][UNIQID]) , the Marxism-derived philosophy that “provides the descriptive and normative bases for social inquiry aimed at decreasing domination and increasing freedom in all their forms [freedom used loosely here].”
How about critical theory’s many ideological children, including, queer theory, women’s and gender studies, postcolonialism, structuralism, post-scructuralism, deconstruction, reconstructivism, or intersectionality? Like an onion, all of these modern disciplines can be peeled back to reveal an embedded core of social Marxism. Marx and Engels couldn’t have dreamed that the fruits of their labor would hold such sway in 21st-century American academia.
But these ideologies are not limited to the walls of the ivory tower—one key offshoot of critical theory made national headlines ([link removed][UNIQID]) last week, namely critical race theory (CRT). Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget for the Trump administration issued a memorandum ([link removed][UNIQID]) which relays President Trump’s orders to
… identify all contracts or other agency spending related to any training on ‘critical race theory,’ ‘white privilege,’ or any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests either (1) that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or (2) that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil. In addition, all agencies should ... cancel any such contracts and/or to divert Federal dollars away from these un-American propaganda training sessions.”
But what exactly is critical race theory, and how did it become so mainstream that it even pervades federal trainings? Does it deserve the label of “un-American propaganda” that President Trump and others have given it? Is it indeed so dangerous as to warrant the revocation of Federal funding?
Here to help is Ray Sanchez, writing for Minding the Campus, who in this week’s featured article provides a concise yet robust definition of CRT and its constituent parts. Sanchez wrote this essay both for those unfamiliar with CRT and for those “knee-deep in personal research about Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity who are in need of a simple and concise description that binds the D.I.E. trinity together.”
Sanchez also dissects what he calls the “essential ingredient” of critical race theory: New Racism. He writes that “New Racism is ubiquitous and baked-in to all of society, and CRT provides the philosophical underpinning, as well as the job description, to get the ‘anti-racist’ work done to deconstruct every American institution.” After all, that is the logical endpoint of these newfangled ideologies, despite their proponents’ claims to pursue “freedom,” “equality/equity,” and/or “liberation.”
Any and all interested in gaining a greater understanding of the basic claims of critical race theory and New Racism will find Sanchez’s essay helpful—I encourage you to read it as you think through these philosophies yourself. They won’t be going anywhere any time soon.
Until next week.
John David
Communications Associate
National Association of Scholars
Read More ([link removed][UNIQID])
For more on Old Racism and New Racism in higher ed:
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September 25, 2020
** Episode #52: Anti-Racism and Illiberal Education ([link removed][UNIQID])
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Peter Wood
Many students this year are required to take a new course: anti-racism. What do these courses teach? Who teaches them? And what is included and excluded in their teaching of "anti-racism"?
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September 21, 2020
** Higher Ed Leadership Takes on Racism ([link removed][UNIQID])
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National Association of Scholars
NAS has published over 300 statements from colleges, universities, and educational institutions that illustrate the lengths to which higher ed leaders have gone to elevate racial conflict.
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September 21, 2020
** ED to Investigate Princeton Following Admission of “Systemic Racism” ([link removed][UNIQID])
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John David
The Department of Education has launched a probe into Princeton University after President Eisgruber admitted to his institution's "embedded" systemic racism.
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August 14, 2020
** Department of Justice Finds Yale Guilty of Racial Discrimination in Admissions ([link removed][UNIQID])
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John David
After a two year long investigation, the DOJ found that Yale University discriminates against undergraduate applicants based on race and is therefore in violation of Title VI.
** About the NAS
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