Paradigms in the Study of Race Relations in Brazil

Abstract

Three paradigms are distinguished in the study of racial relations in Brazil during the 20th century. The first one, the paradigm of morenidade, is associated with Gilberto Freyre, but in spite of outward disagreements, it is shared by Marvin Harris and Carl Degler, whose respective formulations, `referential ambiguity in the calculus of racial identity' and `neither black nor white', have the same basic meaning as Freyre's moreno. A second paradigm is associated with Florestan Fernandes, who stresses the merely residual character of race prejudice and racial inequality in Brazil. The third paradigm, due to Carlos Hasenbalg, posits persistent racial discrimination as the cause of the inequality between whites and non-whites in levels of economic, educational and other attainment. The differences between these paradigms, and even between authors whose conclusions belong in the same paradigm, are largely due to their underlying models of historical development.