Critical Paradigm

Critical Paradigms
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Critical paradigms describe theoretical pillars promoting critique and deconstruction of organizations, laws, establishments, practices, and definitions to illustrate power inequities. Advocates of critical paradigms posit that an inquirer’s belief unavoidably impacts a research’s outcome, but these influences do not substantially pose threats on the overall quality of the research (Patton et al., 2016). More so, the proponents advocate that inquiry is a transactional activity, characteristically carried out as a dialogue between the research team and the researched. Remarkably, inquiry enhances fundamental social transformations by raising awareness and correcting injustices (Patton et al., 2016). It is important to note that the work of most modern identity academics in Student Development is categorized under critical paradigm.
One of the main theories under critical paradigm is Cultural Race Theory (CRT). It is a view that emphasizes on the centrality of racism and race and challenges the notion of white supremacy in social systems such as education, law, and politics. One of the explicit objectives of CRT is to critique and deconstruct normative institutions that promote racism or racial oppression (Patton et al., 2016). Another theory under critical paradigm is Black Feminism or Womanism, which is an approach that connects racism, classism, and sexism as the fundamental forces in society. Just like CRT, black feminism advocates for connections across multiples races, classes, and gender, without any form of oppression.

Nonetheless, it is somewhat different from the CRT in that Black Feminism purposes to center on black African-American women and the different experience that they face in institutions or organizations (Patton et al., 2016). The third view of critical paradigm is Feminists Perspectives. Just like the other two theories, feminist perspectives expose the blatant and unclear gender power inequalities in organizations and institutions (Patton et al., 2016). Unlike CRT, feminist perspective centralizes females in their study, highlighting their different experiences and institutions that influence their circumstances.
References
Patton, L. D., Renn, K. A., Guido, F. M., & Quaye, S. J. (2016). Student development in college:Theory, research, and practice. John Wiley & Sons.