Abstract
Racial formation theory arose as a critique of US sociology’s ethnicity-, nation-, and class-based models that slight race. Instead, the theory holds, race is a central, irreducible element of social relations that implicate social, economic, and political meanings and practices. Racial formation theory became the most important explanation for the field called (post-1968) ethnic studies and is influential across fields such as literature, history, philosophy, law, and others. Critical legal studies is an example of the theory’s reach and influence.