Author:

Keywords:

Brazil, Racial democracy, Racial exclusion, Anti-racist activities

Abstract:

After gaining independence in 1822, Brazil was faced, like other Latin American nations, with the ambiguities of ethnic and cultural diversity. In the course of the nineteenth century, the ideal way of nation-building became following the European model and values. In the twentieth century, a radical shift took place. Instead of reasoning away ethnic and cultural diversity, the multi-racial historical background and the resulting miscegenation of the Latin American people were celebrated. In Brazil, this led to the idea of “racial democracy”. Since 1995, the Brazilian government questions this ideology, and recognises the presence of racism in their country. But still, a lot of Brazilians continu to have faith in the Brazilian racial democracy. This article explores the tensions between this continuous influence and the reality of daily exclusions in Palmas, a Brazilian city.