INTERPLAY BETWEEN CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND POLICE BRUTALITY IN LASKAR’S THE ATLAS OF REDS AND BLUES

Abstract

This article explores institutional racism in Devi S. Laskar’s The Atlas of Reds and Blues (2019) by applying Critical Race Theory (CRT). Specifically, it utilizes the theoretical framework of reference given by Richard Delgado to analyze the modus operandi of institutional racism in contemporary American society and the way it promotes police violence and the vexed condition of marginalized communities. The research focuses on racial challenges that the non-whites have to face in their everyday lives. Further, it evaluates and investigates that the challenges faced by the oppressed community are institutionalized socially and legally; it gives impetus to establishing racial inequalities in so-called egalitarian society. Through the character of the Mother in the novel, this current research exposes day-to-day realities of institutionalized inequalities manifested thereby through police violence and discriminatory environment in American society. Delgado’s insights in CRT provide tools to investigate how laws, policies, and social norms contribute to oppressing colored people in America. It also sheds light on deeply ingrained racism within social fabric of American society. Racial inequality being the ubiquitous feature of American society favours the white community. By engaging with Delgado’s concepts, this research illustrates how Laskar criticizes racial hierarchies embedded within the judicial system and advocates for greater awareness of deep-rooted inequalities that affect minorities and other marginalized groups. Moreover, critical evaluation of the said novel helps in advancing critical discourse on race and justice, making it a significant literary contribution to contemporary understanding of social and racial dynamics in American society. It, too, illuminates the complex interplay between fiction and critical race theory in contemporary society. This research argues for an inclusive society where legal and other related institutions promote racial equality and justice.