Toward a relational racialization lens in education: addressing critiques of CRT’s race theory

In the interdisciplinary field of education, critical race theory (CRT) is the predominant framework for studying racism. However, some have argued CRT lacks a racial theory and that CRT-education scholarship should examine how education racializes (i.e. contributes to making racialized categories). In this theoretical article, I suggest that one way to address this gap is by adopting a relational racialization lens—a perspective that helps scholars theorize on the process of creating the boundaries of racialized groups and that places these boundaries as always relational to the different racial categories. To support my proposal, I discuss CRT and the trends in the education literature focused on racialization. I then present an account of how a relational racialization lens complemented my CRT research and illuminated issues concerning racialization and racisms. I argue this lens can help education scholarship advance with a racial theory and in doing so contribute to important conversations about racialization.