Race Outside the U.S.: Brazilian Children’s Concepts of Race

• In Event: Improving understanding of child development globally through advancements in measurement

Abstract

Historically, the U.S. implemented policies to make the White racial category impermeable for people not solely of European descent. Specifically, race was tied to ancestry, and people of mixed ancestry (e.g., European and African descent) were considered non-White. Psychological theories of racial categorization have largely focused on this racial framework. Studies find that U.S. children’s and adults’ racial categorization aligns with this rigid view of who is considered White (Roberts & Gelman, 2015).

However, this framework may not apply to a country like Brazil, which is the current study’s focus. Unlike the U.S., the Brazilian government wanted to increase its White population to politically weaken the large African population. The Brazilian government encouraged interracial marriage, and rather than tie race to ancestry—which would exclude everyone not solely of European descent—race was tied to the more malleable and inclusive trait, skin tone. This view of race may result in categorization patterns that are distinct from prior U.S. findings: First, Brazilians may categorize people with lighter skin, even those of African descent, as White. Second, Brazilians may categorize biological siblings as different races, such as when one has lighter skin. Finally, if an individual’s skin tone becomes lighter, Brazilians may view them as White.

We examined whether these racial categorization patterns are observed among Brazilian children ages 4 to 12 years old (N = 112; recruited from São Paulo; 52% female, 47% male; 43% White, 38% Multiracial, 13% Black based on parent reports).

Children completed several racial categorization tasks in their native language, Portuguese (Figure 1). Children categorized each target by responding to the question, “Is this child: (1) White, (2) Mixed, or (3) Black?” The patterns reported below were found across ages.

Skin Tone vs. Ancestry Task: Participants were presented with pictures of two children with their biological parents. One child was of European descent but had darker skin, while the other child was of African descent but had lighter skin. Children privileged skin tone over ancestry: 79% of children categorized the child of European descent as Mixed, while 86% of children categorized the child of African descent as White.

Skin Tone vs. Sibling Task: Children were shown biological siblings who varied in skin tone. Children endorsed that siblings can be different races if they have different skin tones: 98% of children categorized the darker-skinned sibling as Mixed or Black, while 77% of children categorized the lighter-skinned sibling as White.

Skin Tone Transformation Task: Children were shown a child who was first darker-skinned, but then over time became lighter-skinned. Children endorsed the idea that changes in skin color can affect a person’s race: 88% of children updated their racial categorization, with 74% of children stating the target became White.

In contrast to studies with U.S. participants, Brazilian children view the White racial category as permeable: A person can be White if they are or become light-skinned. Theories of racial categorization, which focus on the impermeability of Whiteness, should be updated to account for this cultural variation.

Authors

• Jamie Amemiya, University of California - San Diego

• Daniela Sodre, UC San Diego
  Presenting Author

• Gail D Heyman, University of California - San Diego