Page "Critical race theory" Paragraph 3

Appearing in U. S. law schools in the mid-to late 1980s, critical race theory began as a reaction to critical legal studies.

Scholars like Derrick Bell applauded the focus of civil rights scholarship on race, but were deeply critical of civil rights scholars ' commitment to colorblindness and their focus on intentional discrimination, rather than a broader focus on the conditions of racial inequality.

Likewise, scholars like Patricia Williams, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, and Mari Matsuda embraced the focus on the reproduction of hierarchy in critical legal studies, but criticized CLS scholars for failing to focus on racial domination and on the particular sources of racial oppression.