The Politics of Skin Color in Brazil

Abstract

Race in Brazil was constructed differently than race in the United States. This article traces the historical making of race in Brazil. I also examine recent notions of race and color that acknowledge that blacks and browns are distinctly different than whites when considering social and economic inequalities between the two. Current racial discourse in Brazil includes addressing illnesses such as anemia and diabetes as illnesses that disproportionately affect Afro–Brazilians. Such discourse was unimaginable 30 years ago. A similar racial discourse is present in American society, despite that the two have distinct racial histories. Such a discourse is potentially harmful as social meanings of race are applied to the medical field. By tracing Brazil's history of race, this article sheds light on how race is made in a non north-American context as well as show how such constructions are dangerous at times and useful and pragmatic in other cases.