Negras in Brazil : Re-envisioning Black Women, Citizenship, and the Politics of Identity

For most of the twentieth century, Brazil was widely regarded as a "racial democracy"-a country untainted by the scourge of racism and prejudice. In recent decades, however, this image has been severely critiqued, with a growing number of studies highlighting persistent and deep-seated patterns of racial discrimination and inequality. Yet, recent work on race and racism has rarely considered gender as part of its analysis. In __Negras in Brazil__, Kia Lilly Caldwell examines the life experiences of Afro-Brazilian women whose stories have until now been largely untold. This pathbreaking study analyzes the links between race and gender and broader processes of social, economic, and political exclusion. Drawing on ethnographic research with social movement organizations and thirty-five life history interviews, Caldwell explores the everyday struggles Afro-Brazilian women face in their efforts to achieve equal rights and full citizenship. She also shows how the black women's movement, which has emerged in recent decades, has sought to challenge racial and gender discrimination in Brazil. While proposing a broader view of citizenship that includes domains such as popular culture and the body, __Negras in Brazil__ highlights the continuing relevance of identity politics for members of racially marginalized communities. Providing new insights into black women's social activism and a gendered perspective on Brazilian racial dynamics, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Latin American Studies, African diaspora studies, women's studies, politics, and cultural anthropology.

For most of the twentieth century, Brazil was widely regarded as a "racial democracy"-a country untainted by the scourge of racism and prejudice. In recent decades, however, this image has been severely critiqued, with a growing number of studies highlighting persistent and deep-seated patterns of racial discrimination and inequality. In Negras in Brazil, Kia Lilly Caldwell examines the life experiences of Afro-Brazilian women whose stories have until now been largely untold. This pathbreaking study analyzes the links between race and gender and broader processes of social, economic, and political exclusion. Drawing on ethnographic research with social movement organizations and thirty-five life history interviews, Caldwell explores the everyday struggles Afro-Brazilian women face in their efforts to achieve equal rights and full citizenship. She also shows how the black women's movement, which has emerged in recent decades, has sought to challenge racial and gender discrimination in Brazil. While proposing a broader view of citizenship that includes domains such as popular culture and the body, Negras in Brazil highlights the continuing relevance of identity politics for members of racially marginalized communities. Providing new insights into black women's social activism and a gendered perspective on Brazilian racial dynamics, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Latin American studies, African diaspora studies, women's studies, cultural anthropology, and politics.

About the Author:
Kia Lilly Caldwell is an assistant professor in the department of African and Afro-American studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

CONTENTS 8 ILLUSTRATIONS 10 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 12 PROLOGUE 14 Introduction 26 PART ONE 50 1:“A Foot in the Kitchen” 52 2:Women in and out of Place 75 PART TWO 104 3:“Look at Her Hair” 106 4:Becoming a Mulher Negra 132 PART THREE 156 5:“What Citizenship Is This?” 158 6:The Black Women’s Movement 175 Epilogue 202 NOTES 208 REFERENCES 222 INDEX 244 For most of the twentieth century, Brazil was widely regarded as a "racial democracy" - a country untainted by the scourge of racism and prejudice. This book examines the life experiences of Afro-Brazilian women, analyzing the links between race and gender and broader processes of social, economic, and political exclusion.