‘CRT’ in Schools as Moral Panic: Examining the Narrative of Its Most Prominent Crusader

Over the past three years, ‘Critical Race Theory’ in schools has evoked considerable backlash from conservatives fearing progressive indoctrination. This has been referred to as an instance of moral panic by liberal journalists, yet their claims are not informed by sociological theory. Thus far, moral panic scholars have not studied the phenomenon. This thesis bridges the gap between media allegations and scholarly inquiry and examines the personal narrative of the most prominent ‘CRT’ opponent: Christopher Rufo. A qualitative content analysis uncovered Rufo’s narrative. Subsequently, the results were interpreted within the moral panic framework and complemented by the existing literature on ‘CRT’ in schools. The research concludes that Rufo’s personal narrative supports moral panic allegations by containing evidence for all five elements of moral panic. While this effort is largely exploratory, the results indicate the utility of further research considering ‘CRT’ in schools as a...Show moreOver the past three years, ‘Critical Race Theory’ in schools has evoked considerable backlash from conservatives fearing progressive indoctrination. This has been referred to as an instance of moral panic by liberal journalists, yet their claims are not informed by sociological theory. Thus far, moral panic scholars have not studied the phenomenon. This thesis bridges the gap between media allegations and scholarly inquiry and examines the personal narrative of the most prominent ‘CRT’ opponent: Christopher Rufo. A qualitative content analysis uncovered Rufo’s narrative. Subsequently, the results were interpreted within the moral panic framework and complemented by the existing literature on ‘CRT’ in schools. The research concludes that Rufo’s personal narrative supports moral panic allegations by containing evidence for all five elements of moral panic. While this effort is largely exploratory, the results indicate the utility of further research considering ‘CRT’ in schools as a moral panic.Show less

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‘CRT’ in Schools as Moral Panic: Examining the Narrative of Its Most Prominent Crusader