Author:

Keywords:

Internal migration, Brazil, Ethnicity, Racial democracy, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Anthropology, RACIAL DEMOCRACY, RACE-RELATIONS, 1601 Anthropology, 2102 Curatorial and Related Studies, 2103 Historical Studies, 4401 Anthropology

Abstract:

Starting from the observation that Brazilian history has led to the development of a very distinct system of race relations, this paper focuses on the (re)creation of ethnic divisions in a new city, namely Palmas, the capital of the Brazilian state Tocantins. Given the fact that the city was only founded in 1990, internal migration has heavily influenced the composition of the city population. The research shows that residential proximity and interaction between whites and non-whites is largely limited to the poor neighbourhoods of the city. Subtle racism continues to exist; deriving from a way of thinking that naturalises the racial hierarchy. The absence of clearly defined racial categories and the centrality of miscegenation to the Brazilian identity complicate the further dismantling of this racist culture.