Its opponents call it and "part of the lunatic fringe and ", and "a justification for black separateness and ", and "the most embarrassing trend in American publishing and ". and "It and " is Critical Race Theory. But what is Critical Race Theory? How did it develop? Where does it stand now? Where should it go in the future? In this volume, thirty-one CRT scholars present their views on the ideas and methods of CRT, its role in academia and in the culture at large, and its past, present, and future. Critical race theorists assert that both the procedures and the substance of American law are structured to maintain white privilege. The neutrality and objectivity of the law are not just unattainable ideals; they are harmful actions that obscure the law's role in protecting white supremacy. This notion - so obvious to some, so unthinkable to others - has stimulated and divided legal thinking in this country and, increasingly, abroad. The essays in and "Crossroads, Directions, and a New Critical Race Theory and " - all original - address this notion in a variety of helpful and exciting ways. They use analysis, personal experience, historical narrative, and many other techniques to explain the importance of looking critically at how race permeates our national consciousness.