Forms of Unfree Labour in Brazil: Dealing with Racism and Racialisation in Amazonian Agriculture

Unlike many other countries, the Brazilian state has created institutions and actions against unfree labour. In addition, unfree labour is a topic that appears in popular media as well as in scientific research. Poverty is generally attributed as the only factor making people vulnerable to the promises of labour recruiters, while the intersection between class and race is denied. In this article, which takes the Brazilian example, racism is seen as a structural element of unfree labour. Two factors play a big role in this intersection: first, structural racism and, second, racism as a theory of legitimation. As regards the first, imagined races influence one’s chances of having a good education as well as lead to segregation in the job and housing markets, etc. Black people in Brazil are more likely to be poor and have lower chances of upward mobility. As these structures are also mirrored in unfree labour formation, most of unfree labourers in Brazil are black, even though skin colour does not constitute a factor for labour recruiters or estate owners in choosing labourers. As regards the second, when poor people are racialised, they are ascribed specific characteristics. These mostly legitimise their subordinated position as well as their poverty. In Brazil, it could be argued that the category of the peão de trecho (migrant labourer) has been racialised. This group of subaltern labourers are seen as totally irrational people who do not possess the ability to plan their future, but who could be, with the correct guidance, potentially good labourers. Therefore, the exploitation of the peões de trecho is attributed to their characteristic traits and not to labour relations. Additionally, structural factors – as, for example, the lack of access to basic resources – are negated, making poverty a problem of merit and not of chances. Using the example of unfree labour in Brazilian agriculture, this article presents racism and racialisation as factors structuring the labour market as a whole.

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Propositions for Race-Based Research in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Inclusion ◽

10.1352/2326-6988-9.3.156 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 156-169

Author(s):

Khalilah Robinson Johnson ◽

Matthew Bogenschutz ◽

Kierra Peak

Keyword(s):

Developmental Disabilities ◽

Critical Race Theory ◽

Research Methods ◽

Black People ◽

Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities ◽

Structural Factors ◽

Structural Racism ◽

Black Voices ◽

Nuanced Understanding ◽

Methodological Considerations

Abstract A nuanced understanding of disparities impacting racialized people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) requires scholars employ research methods that make visible the structural factors that influence outcomes. Following the work of Tukufu Zuberi and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, we explore race-based methodological considerations for disparities research with Black people with IDD. Specifically, we discuss (a) structural racism in research methods, employing disability critical race theory as a framework, (b) the absence of Black voices and Black scholarship, (c) the abstraction and misuse of race as a variable, and (d) mapping race as a point of discussion in the IDD discourse. Implications for research are discussed and recommendations for contextualizing race, ensuring equity in representation and dissemination, and amplifying the voices of Black scholars are provided.

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Birthing #blackboyjoy: Black Midwives Caring for Black Mothers of Black Boys During Pregnancy and Childbirth

Maternal and Child Health Journal ◽

10.1007/s10995-021-03224-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Keisha L. Goode ◽

Arielle Bernardin

Keyword(s):

Black People ◽

Professional Organizations ◽

Black Boys ◽

Reproductive Justice ◽

Black Mothers ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Structural Racism ◽

Psychosocial Experiences ◽

Pregnancy And Childbirth ◽

Black Life

Abstract Background Structural racism mediates all aspects of Black life. The medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth, and its detrimental impacts on Black birth, is well documented. The Black Lives Matter movement has elevated the national consciousness on all aspects of Black life, but significant attention has been directed toward the murder and dehumanization of Black men and boys. Black midwives, caring for Black people, using the Midwives Model of Care© which consistently demonstrates its efficacy and better outcomes for Black people, are uniquely positioned to witness the physical and psychosocial experiences of birthing Black boys in America. Methods Between 2011 and 2013, the first author conducted interviews with 22 Black midwives to understand their perceptions of, and experiences in, predominantly white midwifery education programs and professional organizations. Convenience and snowball sampling were used. This paper investigates previously unreported and unexamined data from the original study by focusing on the witness and insight of nine midwives who provided care for Black mothers of boys during pregnancy and childbirth. Findings The data presented three themes: It’s a Boy: On Restlessness and Complicated Uneasiness; Desensitization of Black Death; and, Physiological Impacts of Toxic Stress. Conclusions The findings demonstrate that caring for Black people must be simultaneously theorized and executed within an anti-racist, relationship-centered, reproductive justice framework. Black midwives are uniquely positioned to do this work. Greater attention, in practice and in research, is needed to investigate the birth experiences of Black mothers of boys.

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"It feels like we're going back in time": rights of children with Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome and their caregivers in the face of two epidemics

Disability Studies Quarterly ◽

10.18061/dsq.v41i3.8390 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Thais Maria Moreira Valim ◽

Barbara Marciano Marques ◽

Raquel Lustosa

Keyword(s):

Zika Virus ◽

Social Impact ◽

Poor People ◽

Structural Factors ◽

New Disease ◽

The Public ◽

The Past ◽

The Face ◽

Risk Of Exposure ◽

Common Profile

Over the past few months living and facing the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact that the virus and its spread are not democratic has already been proven: the most common profile among victims of the new disease are black, indigenous, and poor people. In addition, it is also racialized and people on the periphery have been experiencing the greatest economic and social impact of the pandemic. COVID-19, in this sense, seems to be consistent with other documented health crises, making its way along the wide avenues of inequality. In this article, we seek to describe how the paths of inequality traced by COVID-19 intersect with the paths of another epidemic, which is now almost invisible in the public eye: that of the Zika Virus. Based on field diaries from research carried out in Recife / PE between 2016 and 2020, we seek to show how families previously affected by Zika now face COVID-19, pointing to structural factors common to the two health crises that put the same people at greater risk of exposure.

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Fighting for America’s Paradise—the Struggle against Structural Racism

Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law ◽

10.1215/03616878-8970767 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rachel R. Hardeman ◽

Simone L. Hardeman-Jones ◽

Eduardo M. Medina

Keyword(s):

Black People ◽

The United States ◽

Direct Result ◽

Structural Racism ◽

Systemic Racism ◽

Communities Of Color ◽

Policy Suggestions ◽

Fundamental Cause ◽

The Moment ◽

The Many

Abstract Structural racism is a fundamental cause of racial inequities in health in the United States. Structural racism is manifested in inequality in the criminal justice system; de facto segregation in education, health care, and housing; and ineffective and disproportionately violent policing and economic disenfranchisement in communities of color. The inequality that Black people and communities of color face is the direct result of centuries of public policy that made Black and Brown skin a liability. We are now in an unprecedented moment in our history as we usher in a new administration which explicitly states: “The moment has come for our nation to deal with systemic racism. . .And to deal with the denial of the promise of this nation—to so many.” The opportunities to create innovative and bold policy must reflect the urgency of the moment and seek to dismantle the systems of oppression that have for far too long left the American promise unfulfilled. The policy suggestions we make in this commentary speak to the structural targets needed to dismantle some of the many manifestations of structural racism to achieve health equity.

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Virtual body ownership and its consequences for implicit racial bias are dependent on social context

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.201848 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (12) ◽

pp. 201848

Author(s):

Domna Banakou ◽

Alejandro Beacco ◽

Solène Neyret ◽

Marta Blasco-Oliver ◽

Sofia Seinfeld ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Black People ◽

Racial Bias ◽

Implicit Bias ◽

Short Exposure ◽

White Female ◽

Body Ownership ◽

Implicit Racial Bias ◽

Two Factors ◽

Virtual Body

When people hold implicit biases against a group they typically engage in discriminatory behaviour against group members. In the context of the implicit racial bias of ‘White' against ‘Black' people, it has been shown several times that implicit bias is reduced after a short exposure of embodiment in a dark-skinned body in virtual reality. Embodiment usually leads to the illusion of ownership over the virtual body, irrespective of its skin colour. Previous studies have been carried out in virtual scenarios that are affectively neutral or positive. Here, we show that when the scenario is affectively negative the illusion of body ownership of White participants over a White body is lessened, and implicit bias is higher for White participants in a Black virtual body. The study was carried out with 92 White female participants, in a between-groups design with two factors: BodyType (their virtual body was White or Black) and a surrounding Crowd was Negative, Neutral or Positive towards the participant. We argue that negative affect prevents the formation of new positive associations with Black and distress leads to disownership of the virtual body. Although virtual reality is often thought of as an ‘empathy machine' our results suggest caution, that this may not be universally the case.

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Assessing Differential Impacts of COVID-19 on Black Communities

10.1101/2020.05.04.20090274 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Gregorio A. Millett ◽

Austin T. Jones ◽

David Benkeser ◽

Stefan Baral ◽

Laina Mercer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Black People ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Negative Binomial Regression ◽

Black Communities ◽

Negative Binomial Regression Model ◽

County Level ◽

Structural Racism ◽

Black Residents ◽

Us Counties ◽

Rate Ratios

AbstractPurposeGiven incomplete data reporting by race, we used data on COVID-19 cases and deaths in US counties to describe racial disparities in COVID-19 disease and death and associated determinants.MethodsUsing publicly available data (accessed April 13, 2020), predictors of COVID-19 cases and deaths were compared between disproportionately (≥13%) black and all other (<13% black) counties. Rate ratios were calculated and population attributable fractions (PAF) were estimated using COVID-19 cases and deaths via zero-inflated negative binomial regression model. National maps with county-level data and an interactive scatterplot of COVID-19 cases were generated.ResultsNearly ninety-seven percent of disproportionately black counties (656/677) reported a case and 49% (330/677) reported a death versus 81% (1987/2,465) and 28% (684/ 2465), respectively, for all other counties. Counties with higher proportions of black people have higher prevalence of comorbidities and greater air pollution. Counties with higher proportions of black residents had more COVID-19 diagnoses (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.17-1.33) and deaths (RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.00-1.40), after adjusting for county-level characteristics such as age, poverty, comorbidities, and epidemic duration. COVID-19 deaths were higher in disproportionally black rural and small metro counties. The PAF of COVID-19 diagnosis due to lack of health insurance was 3.3% for counties with <13% black residents and 4.2% for counties with ≥13% black residents.ConclusionsNearly twenty-two percent of US counties are disproportionately black and they accounted for 52% of COVID-19 diagnoses and 58% of COVID-19 deaths nationally. County-level comparisons can both inform COVID-19 responses and identify epidemic hot spots. Social conditions, structural racism, and other factors elevate risk for COVID-19 diagnoses and deaths in black communities.

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From Cotton to Coca-Cola: A Family History Case Study on the Limitations of Higher Education to Close the Generational Wealth Gap

JCSCORE ◽

10.15763/issn.2642-2387.2016.2.2.40-62 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 40-62

Author(s):

Jacqueline Jordan Irvine

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Family History ◽

Black People ◽

Black Families ◽

Structural Factors ◽

Government Programs ◽

White Families ◽

History Of ◽

The Relationship

This article is a family history that supported the relationship between slavery and generational wealth. The research documented the history of two Moffett families who were probably not related biologically—a White one who owned a Black one with the same last name. However, the two family histories revealed a larger and more complicated narrative about the origins and intractable roots of American inequality that follows the trail of my slave ancestors to one of the most well- known and wealthiest international corporations in the world—from cotton to Coca-Cola. This is the account of a set of conditions that, while assisting Whites to acquire generational wealth, prevented Black people from doing the same. The piece discusses how generational wealth is accumulated and maintained and argues that higher education alone has provided limited opportunities for Black families to acquire and maintain generational wealth. Recommendations included attention to individual and institutional racism, particularly the structural factors that White families have used to leverage their income and wealth, notably government programs, political and social contacts, access to financial resources, and privileged information about economic opportunities.

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The Spatial Structuring of Interurban Housing Markets: Application to Building Sites Prepared for Self-Provided Housing

Environment and Planning A Economy and Space ◽

10.1068/a4110 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 41 (9) ◽

pp. 2143-2161 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Jean-Marie Halleux

Keyword(s):

Academic Research ◽

Housing Markets ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Market Outcomes ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Market Participants ◽

Two Factors ◽

Modelling Methodology ◽

Spatial Autoregressive ◽

The Impact

The author supports the argument that a focus on the spatiality of economic mechanisms can be a valuable way to address the issue of interurban housing markets, a theme which has not yet been adequately addressed by academic research. Developments are based on a theoretical framework in which two factors are considered central to the structuring of markets: (i) the possibility of choice between substitutable supplies (spatially related to the territory prospected by the consumer), and (ii) the availability of information on the state of the market (spatially related to the use of local sales references when market participants prepare their negotiations). This theoretical framework is empirically applied to the case of building sites prepared for self-built housing, with a modelling methodology elaborated for Belgium. The modelling methodology, based on cross-sectional regressions, develops a spatial autoregressive specification and incorporates a multiscale comparison. By highlighting the importance of information availability and demand substitutability, this exercise confirms that a focus on interurban market spatiality can be helpful to housing researchers. In fact, the results suggest that such a focus is particularly appropriate to the analysis of the impact of planning regulations on market outcomes.

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Measuring Vietnamese social work students’ and non-social work students’ attitudes toward poverty and poor population

10.21203/rs.3.rs-734919/v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Le Minh Tien

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Short Form ◽

Social Work Students ◽

Ho Chi Minh City ◽

Poor People ◽

Open University ◽

Structural Factors ◽

Survey Results ◽

Students Attitudes

Abstract The paper reports the results collected from social work students (SW) and nonsocial work students (NSW) of Ho Chi Minh City Open University (OU) through attitudes toward poverty and poor people in Vietnam. The Attitude toward Poverty Short Form (ATP-SF) 21-item (ATP-SF) scale, developed by Yun & Weaver (2010), was used for the data collection. The sample of this study comprises 180 students enrolled in three disciplines: social work (n = 86), law (n = 34), foreign language (n = 30) and economics (n = 30). The questionnaire was used to collect the data for the study. Cronbach’s alpha and independent t-tests were run to compare means between two groups of students. All students voluntarily participated in the survey. Results: A total of 180 social work students and nonsocial work students at Ho Chi Minh City Open University in Vietnam were surveyed. Among them, 86 were social work students, and the other 94 students were from law (n = 34), foreign language (n = 30) and economics (n = 30). The survey results showed that when looking for causes of poverty, social work students and nonsocial work students put the most emphasis on structural factors of poverty. However, social work students, compared with nonsocial work students, consider personal deficiency and stigma more important.

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RACIAL STEREOTYPING IN BRUCE NORRIS PLAY SCRIPT CLYBOURNE PARK (2010)

English Language and Literature ◽

10.24036/ell.v9i3.109418 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Sofiani Sofiani ◽

Muhd. Al-Hafizh

Keyword(s):

Black People ◽

Poor People ◽

Edward Said ◽

White People ◽

Conflict Setting ◽

Post Colonial ◽

Stage Direction ◽

Racial Stereotyping

This thesis is an analysis of a play written by Bruce Norris, entitled Clybourne Park (2010). This study is aimed to expose the issue about racial stereotyping which is done by the white people toward the Black and to know contribution dramatic elements; character, plot (conflict), setting, and stage direction in revealing the issue of racial stereotyping. This analysis is related to the concept of Orientalism by Edward Said in the post-colonial approach and also supported by the concepts of stereotype by Gamble. The result of this analysis is to expose the forms of stereotype toward black people. White sees blacks as poor people and black as a barbaric group.

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