Brazil: The Existence of Black Consciousness in Brazil
Ever since I began studying the history of Brazilian culture during my sophomore year, I have had a tremendous interest in that country. During my senior year I began to explore Brazil’s system of racial formation and multiracial identity. I decided that in order to get a better grasp on the matter, I would have to come to Brazil. Before and after deciding to come here, I read books and articles, watched films, listened to music, and got my hands on anything else Brazilian that I could find. I even bought a “Brazilian gestures” book. I thought I was prepared for anything that Brazil had to offer. After about a week in the country, I realized that I, in fact, did not know as much about Brazil as I had thought. In terms of my knowledge of racial formation, I realized that my perspective was all wrong. Because I was not able to actually see the implications of what I had been reading, I was not able to fully understand the meaning of racial formation. One of the first observations I made was that Afro-Brazilians and African-Americans are not the same phenotypically. Because Brazil is a country that promotes the mixture of races, its people—whether of African descent or not—look completely different, which helped me to understand the meaning of “black” in a racial democracy. On a more personal level, I realized that I had to get out of the “American” way of thinking, because Brazilian and American society are completely different. I learned to stop imposing my American views on Brazilian society and start thinking like a Brazilian. I did this by learning the language—which was a tremendous help in my personal growth—talking with the people, and keeping up with Brazilian current events. Although I do not feel completely “Brazilian” after even months, I do feel that I am a lot more open minded and ready to explore the issue of black consciousness from a broader perspective. —Maiya Evans, UC Santa Barbara
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