HIST117 CM - Race and Ethnicity in Brazil

This course examines the Brazilian national narrative of “racial democracy,” or the idea that Brazilian society is a “racial paradise,” lacking racial distinctions due to racial mixing. We examine dominant racial ideologies that preceded the idea of Brazil as a racial democracy, how racial democracy turned into a national project of the Vargas Era (1930-45), and challenges proposed by black intellectuals and indigenous groups. After 1945, the course addresses how ideas of racial democracy intersect with gender/sexuality, modernization policies, people excluded from the national mixed-race type, authoritarian rule, and popular culture. At the end of the course, students debate contemporary racially based policies such as Affirmative Action in Brazil.

Offered: Every other year

Credit: 1

Course Number: HIST117 CM