The politics of blackness : racial identity and political behavior in contemporary Brazil /

Mitchell (Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) devises a thesis that the traditional view of racial democracy and harmony does not describe the current political environment of Brazil. Based on data collected and interviews conducted between 2005 and 2012 in largely Afro-Brazilian neighborhoods of three cities--Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo-- the author suggests the interaction of race, color, class, and gender creates a system that produces a society in which Brazilians of African descent continue to suffer discrimination and poverty. The author rejects the notion that Brazilian and US race relations are becoming similar. Her research also suggests that black political activism in Brazil is changing the political discourse, challenging traditional stereotypical images of race. This important book uniquely describes the complicated racial environment of Brazil. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Mark L. Grover, emeritus, Brigham Young University