Racial Knowledge and the Tenets of Critical Race Theory: Is Opposition to CRT Due to Ignorance?

Abstract

Is racial ignorance a cause of lay opposition to critical race theory (CRT)? In Study 1, undergraduates completed a test of racial knowledge and indicated support for CRT tenets (e.g., that racism is common and structural; that race is socially constructed and intersectional). Accurate racial knowledge, determined by signal detection analysis, predicted tenet support, even when controlling for racial prejudice, social dominance, and political conservatism. In three experiments, White undergraduates learned critical knowledge about race vs. poverty or transportation (Studies 2 and 3, respectively) or structural racism vs. pig intelligence (Study 4). In each, critical racial knowledge increased CRT tenet support. In Study 1, racial knowledge predicted blind patriotism negatively but constructive patriotism positively. Acquiring critical racial knowledge in Studies 2-4 did not lead participants to distance from America, despite claims of cultural critics. Teaching critical knowledge about race may be an effective means to promote racial understanding.