Afro-Brazilians

Catalog description

Once heralded internationally as a racial democracy, Brazil has been the subject of an ongoing critical re-evaluation that has revealed a vast gap between the national ideal and the social reality. The ideas of race and the various forms of institutional and quotidian racism in Brazil make for compelling contrasts and comparisons with the United States. This course will focus on a wide range of themes, issues, and problems in Afro-Brazilian Studies since the abolition of slavery in 1888. Combining cultural history, anthropology, sociology, literature, and popular music, this course will offer a multidisciplinary approach to black culture and race relations in Brazilian society.