Classes sociales, races et nation au Brésil

Abstract

In modern social science, one cannot conceptualize of group formation as a result of collective mobilization or as the evolution of various theoretical fields without considering its intersections with different forms of agency and structural determinism. In this article, I argue that interactions between processes of class and race formation should be examined in relation to their tensions with the broader framework of national formation. I focus on how, in Brazil, the processes of racialization and class formation are informed by national belonging, and how this belonging is itself built in relation to a certain ideal of social class and denial of race. To this end, I deal in an original way with the concepts of racialization, developed in sociology by Michael Barton, class formation (Adam Przeworski) and racial formation (Omi & Winnant).

Keywords

• racialization
• racial formation
• nation
• social class
• identity politics
• Brazil