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Full-Text Articles in Religion Law
Derrick Bell's Narratives As Parables, George H. Taylor
Derrick Bell's Narratives As Parables, George H. Taylor
Articles
Use of the narrative form in law and legal analysis remains controversial, especially by advocates of critical race theory. Critics maintain that narratives can distort if they are not sufficiently based on empirical fact or reason. Narratives, the claim goes, must be evaluated on the basis of objective standards. My Article argues that this posture critical of narrative is mistaken. I contend that to comprehend how narratives should be interpreted, their literary character must first be understood.
The Article examines the narratives of Derrick Bell, the preeminent critical race and narrative scholar, and maintains that Bell's narratives should be read …
Race, Religion And Law: The Tension Between Spirit And Its Institutionalization, George H. Taylor
Race, Religion And Law: The Tension Between Spirit And Its Institutionalization, George H. Taylor
Articles
My reflections flow from some recent writings by the critical race scholar Derrick Bell. Bell acknowledges that in prior work he has focused on the "the economic, political, and cultural dimensions of racism" but now suggests the possibility of a "deeper foundation" arising from the conjunction that "[m]ost racists are also Christians." This statement is Bell at his best: at once both extremely provocative and extremely unsettling. I want to explore and develop two aspects of Bell's argument.
First, if we want to examine and understand the many dimensions of racism, it is not enough to employ economic, political, or …