Barbara Christian’s The Race for Theory

A Statement on Academic Legitimacy

Barbara Christian, pioneering scholar of African American literary feminism
(Grayscale of Dr. Barbara T. Christian in glasses and statement earrings, hand placed beside face.)
Source: https://150w.berkeley.edu/barbara-christian

Most of the inner workings of academia merit scrutiny, and the theory that we stand on to further our political and intellectual agendas is no exception.

In her 1988 piece The Race for Theory, Barbara Christian analyzes and critiques the ways that theory is defined and ascribed value in academia. Her discussion…