Policy and Ideology Collide: Affirmative Action in Brazilian Higher Education

• In Event: 63.084 - MTCC Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: 63.084-6 - Building Connections and Pursuing Equity in Higher Education

Abstract

In 2012, former Brazilian President Rousseff signed the Quota Law, instituting affirmative action in public universities. In the preceding months, fierce public debate occurred, with those against the policy drawing on claims of a colorblind society and advancing deficit-based arguments against marginalized communities. Using a social dominance theory framework, this paper addresses the extent to which a policy like affirmative action can challenge an ideology of racial oppression. To answer this question, I evaluate empirical evidence on affirmative action consequences against claims made by its detractors. While implementation of the policy continues to be influenced by dominant racial ideology, data on the diversity and academic impacts of affirmative action debunk the negative arguments posed by the policy’s opposition.

Author

• Justine Hwei Chi Lee, University of Maryland - College Park