Why is the Black Evangelical Movement Growing in Brazil?

Abstract

In the struggle against racism in Brazil there is a new political actor on the scene: the evangelical black movement. Since the mid-1990s, groups committed to uniting black identity, anti-racism and evangelical theology have rapidly proliferated. This article, applying the analytical terms of political process theory, identifies several key social and political forces that have combined in the past decade to help foster the growth of the movement. The article concludes that the movement has risen on the back of deep and enduring social forces, and argues that it will therefore be increasingly important in the years to come to pay attention to the role evangelical activists play in anti-racist politics in Brazil.