O Movimento negro brasileiro: definições e a dicotomia política versus cultura

Abstract

The Black Movement plays a fundamental role in understanding how discussions on racial relations have evolved throughout Brazil’s history, both intellectually and ideologically. Studies on this topic in the 20th century reveal two main perspectives. The first, represented by Gilberto Freyre, argues that racial coexistence in Brazil was harmonious. The second, driven by Unesco studies, reinforced the existence of racial issues that had already been denounced by the Brazilian Black Movement, such as the Frente Negra Brasileira, since the 1930s. As the leading force in challenging the ideology of racial democracy, the Black Movement used these studies to strengthen its arguments. Given its central role in combating racism and discrimination against the Black population in the post-abolition period, it is essential to understand the scope and limits of its actions. Thus, this study aims to analyze the definition of the Brazilian Black Movement, exploring the broad and narrow concepts identified by historian Joel Rufino dos Santos (1985), as well as discussing the relationship between culturalism and Black activism in Brazil.