Class in LatCrit: Theory and Praxis in a World of Economic Inequality (Foreword)

The fifth annual Latina/o critical legal theory ("LatCrit") conference was held on May 4-7, 2000 in Breckenridge, Colorado. The mountain resorts of Colorado present an almost metaphorical location for a critical theory meeting. The majesty and apparent harmony of the natural environment contrast so vividly with the cotidian conflicts in the human environment, and the elites exhibit a banal1 oblivion to the vicious racial and class-based violence that provide the grist for critical theorists. These resort locations dedicated to a lifestyle of money, recreation and pampering and infused with the invisible oxygen of privilege offer a space for theoretical work that is rich with conflicting histories, untold stories and inequalities, both obvious and subtle. As with all academic meetings, fiscal considerations influence the choice of meeting location, but with LatCrit conferences great care goes into making the decision about where to hold the conference because of the relationship between the place/space and the interactions that will occur during the meeting