Tonya Bettineschi

History 344 - Race and Ethnicity in Latin America

Dr. Enrique Cotelo
November 28, 2016

Edward E. Telles. ​Race in Another America: The Significance of Skin Color in Brazil​. Princeton,
Princeton University Press, 2004.

Race in Another America: The Significance of Skin Color in Brazil​ was written by

Edward E. Telles in order to study controversial race relations that exist in Brazil. Teles argues

against the traditional conception of racial harmony in Brazil. Telles incorporates data in his

analysis to show how the different perspectives of race relations prove Brazil did not succeed in

creating racial democracy.

Brazilian race relations have been a controversial topic since the 19th and 20th century.

There is no definitive answer to the race question in Brazil, however Edward E. Telles dedicates

his study to evaluating the many different reasonings behind the multiple perspectives of

Brazilian race relations. The Brazilian state implemented racial democracy by denying racism

and race divisions, however, it failed to address the racial hierarchy that so clearly defined

Brazilian race relations (46). Because of this, some Brazilians considered the country to be

integrated while others voiced their concerns about the racial hierarchy and how it was designed

to exclude the non-whites of Brazil.

In the early 20th century, white supremacy that existed throughout the world had a lasting

effect on Brazil. Adopting this idea, Brazil favored the white population and began to exclude all

non-whites from basic functions of society. Brazilians had adopted a new form of social policies

based on the idea of eugenics. It was believed that racial characteristics were hereditary, however

Neo-Lamarckism was adopted and was the belief that these characteristics could be overcome

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within a single generation. Neo-Lamarckism had a significant effect on race relations in Brazil

because it challenged white supremacy and the inferior status of blacks and mulatos. This

transition from white supremacy to racial democracy was sparked by the concept of

miscegenation(28). Neo-Lamarckism promoted miscegenation or the whitening of the population

became the major basis for Brazilian’s social policy. They relied on the immigration of

Europeans to strengthen the workforce and to mix with blacks and mulattos in order to spread the

dominant white gene(29).

The attempt at implementing racial democracy in Brazil uncovered many racial injustices

that existed and therefore led to affirmative action policies to solve racial conflicts. Although

Brazil had become internationally recognized as a racial democracy, the Brazilian government

was forced implement affirmative actions in order to improve race relations (75).Telles provides

data from a national survey taken in 1995, that proves that the vast majority of Brazil’s

population believed that there was still racial prejudices that existed(54). Brazil’s claim of racial

democracy was inaccurate because of the racial inequalities that prevented non-whites from

receiving the same opportunities and treatments as the white population. In ​Race in Another

America​, Telles supports the idea of affirmative action in order to reduce inequalities between

racial classes (72).

Edward E. Telles addresses these social inequalities between racial classes by analyzing

the vertical and horizontal dimensions of race relations in Brazil. The horizontal and vertical

dimensions are racial classifications in Brazil thus an essential part of race relations (217). The

horizontal refers to rates of miscegenation and assimilation of blacks and mulattos into a white

Brazilian society. The vertical refers to economic exclusion and inferiority that is present in

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Brazil’s racial hierarchy (216). Examining race relations along both the horizontal and vertical

dimensions shows how racial harmony in Brazil was a myth. Teles argues that social inclusion

was able to exist along the horizontal scale, creating an illusion of racial harmony. However

when looking at the vertical side of things, it was obvious that exclusion and racial inequalities

still existed. Although one side of the spectrum seems to be racially democratic, racial harmony

was not existent throughout the entire system.

Throughout ​Race in Another America​, Telles compares race relations in Brazil to the race

relations in the United States (215). In comparison, racial boundaries in Brazil were far more

weaker than they were in the United States. Brazil was a slave society that was very reliant on

the African slave trade. Because of this, Brazil had a larger number of citizens who were of

African descent than the United States did which allowed for greater rates of miscegenation,

assimilation, and social mobility. Race relations in Brazil had many cultural effects on their

society yet the divisions of race in Brazil compared to the United States was much smaller and

far less severe (234).

Edward E. Telles argues that racial harmony was a myth in Brazil. There are many

different perspectives on the race issue in Brazil due to the rigid hierarchy and the Brazilian

government was forced to rethink race relations throughout the country. Although many attempts

at racial democracy were made, it was never achieved for racial inequalities continued to exist in

many aspects of life.