The politics of « racial » classification in Brazil
The politics of « racial » classification in Brazil. This paper traces the genealogy of « racial » taxonomies in Brazil arguing that recent policies which focus on the « black population » or the « black community » depend upon a belief that Brazilian society is neatly divided into « blacks » and « ...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Société des américanistes
2009-12-01
|
| Series: | Journal de la Société des Américanistes |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/jsa/11108 |
| Summary: | The politics of « racial » classification in Brazil. This paper traces the genealogy of « racial » taxonomies in Brazil arguing that recent policies which focus on the « black population » or the « black community » depend upon a belief that Brazilian society is neatly divided into « blacks » and « not blacks », thus superseding taxonomies which produce ambiguous « racial » categories based on the social « appearance » of individuals. The paper argues that such new political orientation may be a form of self fulfilling prophecy, bringing into being that which it assumed to exist. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0037-9174 1957-7842 |