Ações afirmativas na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul e o seu significado simbólico

Abstract

This article analyses how income, educational and racial inequalities in Brazil result in the lack of opportunities for a large part of the population reinforcing a cycle of exclusion in our society. The article presents the debate about affirmative action policies, especially the one referring to quotas in universities, through the analysis of four public manifestos. It also discusses the symbolic meaning of the implementation of these policies, taking the case of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul as an example.