Critical Race Perspective

Critical race theory is used in this study to highlight the racial dimension of the intersectionality theory. This theoretical perspective focuses on the ways that different races are perceived and the social inequalities that exist throughout the world due to these perceptions of race (Zamudio et al., 2011). In fact, critical race theory “foregrounds race as the central construct for analyzing inequality” (Zamudio et al., 2011, p. 2). According to Zamudio et al. (2011), it is the belief of critical race theorists that, “racial inequality permeates every aspect of social life” (p. 3). This theory helps to explain the social inequalities experienced by Aboriginal women involved in sex work, including their overrepresentation in the trade, the violence and abuse they encounter as a result of this involvement, and the underprovided protection and justice that they receive from the

There are several themes that are common to the beliefs of critical race theorists as highlighted by Delgado and Stefancic (2012). The first theme is that racism is a

“common, every day experience of most people of color” (Delgado & Stefancic, 2012, p.

7). Therefore, most individuals who are of a minority race experience racism. But this common occurrence of “everyday racism” is seldom acknowledged, making it difficult to alleviate (Delgado & Stefancic, 2012). Racism continues to exist in every part of the world and is evident in the case of Aboriginal women involved in prostitution. The factors that affect these women, including their overrepresentation in sex work, the violence they receive on the streets, and the lack of protection they receive from the CCJS, have become common practice in Canada resulting in desensitization with little being done to address these issues. This is evident from the number of cases involving missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada.

A second theme is that the “system of white-over-color ascendancy serves important purposes, both psychic and material, for the dominant group” (Delgado & Stefancic, 2012, p. 7). This means that racism has positive benefits for the dominant or Caucasian members of society, “Because racism advances the interests of both white elites and working-class Caucasians, large segments of society have little incentive to eradicate it”

(Delgado & Stefancic, 2012, p. 8). This is the case with Aboriginal people in Canada who have been exploited by the dominant members of society since the time of

colonization (Zamudio et al., 2011). Similar to postcolonial feminist theory, critical race theory focuses on history, specifically colonialism, and the stratified relationships that developed amongst the members of different races during colonization:

These colonial processes divided the world between conquered and colonizer, master and slave, white and non-white (i.e., other). It included the development of an ideology, and processes of spreading that ideology, to justify colonization.

From these past relationships, legal practices, ideologies, and social mores, emerged the construction of racial difference as natural and fixed” (Zamudio et al., 2011, p. 4).

Critical race theorists “see contemporary racial inequality as an outgrowth of a history of oppression” (Zamudio et al. 2011, p. 5). As discussed above with respect to postcolonial feminist theory, during the time of colonization, Aboriginal women were exploited and sexually abused by the European colonizers and this acceptance of “sexual use” has

continued into modern day society (Razack, 2002). This helps to explain why members of the society feel that they can treat Aboriginal women involved in sex work with violence and abuse and why the CCJS does little to protect these women.

A third theme of critical race theory is the notion of “social construction” which is the belief that “race and races are products of social thought and relations” (Delgado &

Stefancic, 2012, p. 8). This means that races are “not objective, inherent, or fixed, they correspond to no biological or genetic reality; rather, races are categories that society invents, manipulates, or retires when convenient” (Delgado & Stefancic, 2012, p. 8).

Olneck (1995) notes that:

Ethnic identities are not inheritances or preservations but are, rather, on going active constructions that emerge out of interactions among groups within social-political and symbolic contexts. The nature of those identities depends upon the interpretations parties make of their interactions (p. 318-319, as cited by Ladson-Billings ed., 2003, p. 3).

As this statement suggests, the concept of “race” is used throughout society to explain certain social situations and to influence certain beliefs. The dominant members of the society, consisting mostly of wealthy Caucasians, apply the ideology that certain races are inferior when viewing certain behaviours within society (Delgado & Stefancic, 2012).

For instance, Aboriginal women involved in sex work are seen by the dominant members of society as inferior and often as deserving the abuse and violence they receive (Razack, 2002).

A fourth and final theme of critical race theory is that “minority status brings with it a presumed competence to speak about race and racism” (Delgado & Stefancic, 2012, p.

8). This belief is shared with feminist standpoint theory, which argues that people who are oppressed in society (e.g., people of color), have different perspectives on social issues because they have different experiences than those of wealthy white males. Like feminist standpoint theory, critical race theorists posit that it is important for minorities to tell the stories of their experiences from their own perspectives in order to effectively combat racism and racial inequality (Zamudio, et al., 2011). “One of the greatest contributions of critical race theory is its emphasis on narratives and counter stories told from the vantage point of the oppressed” (Zamudio et al., 2011, p. 5). Therefore, it is

important for Aboriginal women involved in sex work to narrate their experiences so that the rest of society will be able to understand what they truly experience.

It is clear that critical race theory provides useful insights into why Aboriginal women involved in prostitution in Saskatchewan are overrepresented in the sex trade industry, why they encounter violence on the streets, and why little is done by the CCJS to protect them. According to critical race theorists, all of these issues are linked to their race. Mies (1998) states that “racism has always played a central role in [the way

Aboriginal women involved in sex work are treated], not only because of these women’s assumed ‘exotic sex appeal’ but because they can be used as objects of sadism and violence with relative impunity” (as cited by Kuokkanen, 2008, p. 221). Therefore, Aboriginal women are overrepresented in the Saskatchewan sex trade because they are at a disadvantage relative to others in Canada in view of their race. Once working on the streets, Aboriginal women sex workers are further disadvantaged because of how other members of society view them. While it can be argued that race is only a concept, the concept has a powerful impact on social relationships and the lives of many people throughout the world. So far I have discussed the impacts of gender and race, and their intersection on members of society. However, it is not only gender and race that impact the way people are treated. One’s class also has a strong impact on the way one is treated and viewed throughout the society.