Black Studies in/from Brazil: Lessons for the African Diaspora

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Description for Program

The study of Blackness in Brazil has been a key element of African Diaspora studies for multiple generations. From the pan-Africanist writings of Abdias do Nascimento, to the sociological reflections of E. Franklin Frazier, Brazil has played a key role in defining the African diaspora historically, culturally and theoretically. This interest in Brazil has increased exponentially with the global expansion of the multi-lingual publishing industry and the solidification of the relationship between academia and social media. Black Brazilian studies is experiencing a Renaissance, so to speak, and Black scholars from Brazil and beyond are at the center of this proliferation of scholarship. As a result, the notion of decolonizing the research, writing and the university is quickly gaining traction as Black scholars inside and outside of Brazil push disciplines to view Black people not as objects of study but rather as modern agents in the world; approach race as a sociopolitical category interlaced with the structures of white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, and anti-Black racism; and engage other Black Studies traditions across the Atlantic. In other words, contemporary Black Brazilian studies necessarily makes a call for the recognition of global systems of power that flow to and from Brazil. This roundtable brings together scholars across multiple generations from both Brazil and the United States to critically reflect on Black Brazilian studies to and from Brazil. How can we describe this contemporary moment and what does the future of this work look like? The roundtable features Black Studies scholars from history, anthropology, and communication to consider what Black Studies in/from Brazil has to offer the study of the African Diaspora yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Sub Unit

• ASWAD

Chair

• Christen Smith

Discussants

• Kim D Butler

• Christen Smith

• Bryce Henson

• Watufani Poe, Tulane University

• Luciana Brito, Universidade Federal do Reconcavo da Bahia - Brazil