Introduction: Comparative Racial Politics in Latin America – Black Politics Matter

Abstract

This chapter investigates the fluid intersection of social power and racial politics and their impact on the region's histories, politics, identities and cultures. Comparative Racial Politics in Latin America explores the dynamic interplay between racial politics and hegemonic power in the region. Latin America has a rich and complex social history marked by slavery, colonialism, dictatorships, rebellions, social movements and revolutions. The chapter aims to counter the hegemonic logic of erasure by repositioning the logic of racialization. It offers updated perspectives and analysis of key political trends, scholarly debates and substantive discussions. The chapter examines Black Politics in Latin America by presenting state-of-the-art research by respected scholars and movement activists from Latin America, the US and Europe. When Blacks, scholars and activists insisted that race matters, and offered a more in-depth analysis, the response was problematic. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.