I am not Black! I am Negro! : racism and racial identities in Brazil

Abstract

SUMMARY Why are there no overt racial conflicts and little interest in political mobilisation along racial lines in Brazil? This question was the outset of this dissertation. Many social scientists argue that the myth of racial democracy has rendered the black population unconscious about racism and racial discrimination. This in turn is taken to be the reason for why the Black Brazilian Movement has not been able to mobilise politically along racial lines. I, on the other hand, argue that lack of consciousness alone can not count for the absence lack of racial conflicts and political mobilisation. This dissertation is based on fieldwork in Salvador, Brazil from January 2005 to June 2005. My data suggests that there is no lack of consciousness regarding racism among Afro-Brazilians in their 20s and 30s in Salvador. So, if there is no lack of consciousness what is it that prevents these people from participating in political mobilisation along racial lines? This dissertation seeks to find some answers to this question. By presenting their views their views on racism, their ways of resistance and their attitudes towards Afro-Brazilian culture and negritude (blackness), I hope to shed some light on why these young Afro-Brazilians do not feel compelled to join the Black Movement.