Gary Y. Okihiro (1945-2024) was Visiting Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration at Yale University and the author of many books, including
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.
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