Black Social Movements in Brazil: The State, Political
Identity and Visions for the Future
Abstract
This exploratory project examines the development of Afro-
Brazilian protest politics. I review the existing explanations for
the relative lack of black movement formations in Brazil and
offer a critique of state centered explanations of race based
movements. Using event data and newspaper articles about race
in Brazil, I explore patterns and trends in Afro-Brazilian
politics from 1985-2000 in an attempt to understand the level
and nature of protest politics among black Brazilians.
Introduction
Academics recognize that racial discrimination is prevalent in Brazil and find the
lack of a widespread black movement in Brazil an enigma. Thus, social movements research
in Brazil has largely been aimed at explaining this. This study seeks to explore the
explanations that have been offered in a way that allows us to better understand the critical
positions in this ongoing discussion. This study also examines data on the type and amount
of black social movement activity in Brazil to determine the extent to which the claims held
forth are consistent with empirical evidence. I pay specific attention to Anthony Marx’s
study of Brazil in his book Making Race and Nation, which is hailed as one of the best
comparative studies of “race making” to date. A central purpose of the paper is to explore,
more in depth, Marx’s argument about black social movements in Brazil.
Three major questions guide this inquiry. First, how does Marx’s explanation of the
relative lack of Afro-Brazilian protest affect his categorization of the types of social
movement activity present in Brazil? Further, how does Marx’s framework for
Page 1 of 19 
Convention