Internal migration and ethnic division: the case of Palmas, Brazil

Posted in Anthropology, Articles, Brazil, Caribbean/Latin America, Media Archive on 2013-05-13 02:35Z by Steven

Internal migration and ethnic division: the case of Palmas, Brazil

The Australian Journal of Anthropology
Volume 22, Issue 2, August 2011
pages 203–219
DOI: 10.1111/j.1757-6547.2011.00134.x

Mieke Schrooten
Anthropology Department
Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven

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, Palmas, the capital of the Brazilian state Tocantins. Because the city was only founded in 1990, internal migration has heavily influenced the composition of the city’s 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.

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