ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the use of critical race theory (CRT) as a valuable lens for understanding the influence of racism in higher education. It reviews the foundational and current CRT scholarship in higher education, focusing on the promises of early literature and limitations of the contemporary work developed within the last ten years. The chapter briefly summarizes previous ideologies, specifically classical and renascent liberalism, critical to shaping experiences of people of color in American higher education. Student reaction and protest to the deliberate pacing of anti-discrimination efforts at colleges and universities served as a key catalyst for the intellectual development of CRT. Early use of CRT as an analytical framework in higher education scholarship reveals significant attention to challenging normed practices around race and racism, as well as strategic solutions to radically reshape experiences of students of color in postsecondary education. Neoliberalism reflects some core tenets of both classical and renascent liberalism, specifically individual freedom and nation-state intervention.
