The quest for Afro-Brazilians' equal opportunity: The articulations of affirmative action policies and programs by Afro-Brazilian advocacy organizations and the state in Brazil, 1990--2004

This dissertation examines the changing meaning of "race" in social policies in Brazil through the implementation of equal opportunity policies, namely affirmative action and diversity policies, by Afro-Brazilian advocacy organizations and the state. The study looks at three concrete case studies in which these policies were developed and implemented in the areas of education and the labor market. The case studies in the area of education refer to the University of Brasilia's implementation of a 20 percent quota system aimed at Afro-Brazilians, and the Generation XXI, a project developed by an Afro-Brazilian nongovernmental organization (NGO) and a U.S-based foundation in conjunction with a Brazilian federal agency for black community affairs. The case study related to the labor market discusses the initiatives developed by a labor-based Afro-Brazilian NGO that influenced federal legislation regarding racial discrimination in the workplace. This dissertation seeks to answer three interrelated questions: What factors account for the changing perceptions and definitions of "race" in Brazil? How have affirmative action programs and policies been developed and implemented in the selected case studies? What have been the spill-over effects of such programs on the government, corporate sector, and civil society? Strategically, this dissertation follows the historical sociology approach whereby events of the past shed meaningful light in the socio-cultural and political developments in the present. The study is interdisciplinary which has equally benefited from analysis and theories drawn from sociology, political science, international relations, social movements and international human rights literature. The research is based primarily on qualitative data consisting of interviews utilizing open-ended questionnaires; secondary resources such as documentaries, and available bibliographic materials published in Brazil concerning equal opportunity policies, such as diversity and affirmative action. It also contains demographic and statistical analysis relevant to the research. This dissertation endorses previous conceptual and theoretical formulations such as: "everyday racism", "political consciousness", "mobilizing opportunities" and the interplay of structures of governance, such as "domestic structures" and "international institutions". The study finally suggests that the interaction of these five conceptual domains, among other factors, partially explains the content, scope, and latitude of the ongoing political economy in Brazil propelling small and large-scale processes of social change.