Critical race theory in England: impact and opposition

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the development of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in England, in terms of impact and opposition. Since the early 2000s CRT has become a significant intellectual space for race-conscious scholars and activists in England. The current paper traces the growth of CRT in the field of education (where it has had the greatest impact since its arrival). It identifies the academic research, writing, networks and events that have established CRT in England. It discusses the substantive concerns of English CRT and how these are both similar to and distinct from CRT as developed in the USA. In England, CRT has also met with opposition. This paper examines the discourses of derision voiced by its antagonists, arguing that much of this antagonism has an atavistic quality, being rooted in long-standing antipathy towards race-conscious social analyses.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical race theory
• race
• racism
• education
• academia
• Marxism

Acknowledgments

Thanks to David Gillborn for helping to reconstruct the CRT timeline in the ‘Atlantic crossings’ section of this paper, first presented as part of Gillborn and Warmington (2015).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.