Goodbye ‘Racial Democracy’? Brazilian Identity, Official Discourse and the Making of a ‘Black’ Heritage Site in Rio de Janeiro

This article explores the racial thinking in Brazilian governance exposed during the creation of a Circuit of African Heritage in the port area of Rio de Janeiro from 2011 on. The Circuit and the policy discourses that have surrounded its establishment are visibly framed within a philosophy of ethno...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin of Latin American research 2018-01, Vol.37 (1), p.73-86
Main Author: CICALO, ANDRÉ
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
21st century
Black history
Brazil
Cultural heritage
Democracy
Discourse
Discourses
Ethnic identity
Governance
material heritage
Multiculturalism & pluralism
National identity
Philosophy
Policy making
racial democracy
Racial identity
racial mixture
social policy
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Summary:This article explores the racial thinking in Brazilian governance exposed during the creation of a Circuit of African Heritage in the port area of Rio de Janeiro from 2011 on. The Circuit and the policy discourses that have surrounded its establishment are visibly framed within a philosophy of ethno‐racial recognition and multiculturalism, which apparently suggests a rupture from the long‐established discourse of mixture and racial democracy in Brazil. Nonetheless, a careful analysis of the creation of the Circuit of African Heritage indicates that policy discourse is not conclusively unsettling the country's traditional faith in a shared, colour‐blind national identity.
ISSN:0261-3050
1470-9856
DOI:10.1111/blar.12636