Should’ve Seen It Coming: Contextualizing the Contemporary Takedown of US Diversity and DEI from a Critical Race Theory Perspective

From the late 20th century into the first two decades of the 21st, diversity discourse was widespread in US culture, and diversity policies were common in many US organizations. This is in sharp contrast to how, since the early 2020s, diversity (often under the newer language of “DEI”) has come under political fire and legislative attack. While this contrast is jarring and a major shake-up, it is not all that surprising. The current paper contextualizes the contemporary backlash to diversity and DEI with insights from critical race theory. We discuss how racialized partisan politics within the US have shaped the history of discourse and policy surrounding “diversity” and/or “DEI”. Even though diversity discourse and related policy have operated in colorblind and neoliberal ways, research has shown that diversity discourse and related policy have always been racialized, albeit subtly. However, this racialization became more obvious as DEI language became more common, especially in the context of racial justice protests in 2020 and the political landscape of the US. This sparked a vigorous Republican-led backlash, leading to the contemporary takedown of diversity and DEI. We conclude by considering how academics, practitioners, activists, and others can move forward in the current moment despite the many challenges we face.