The multiple dimensions of racial mixture in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: from whitening to Brazilian negritude

Aim: To describe practices related to body hygiene of children with encephalopathy at their homes. Method: This is a qualitative study using the creative-sensible method, with data generated from February to April 2014 through the dynamics “C orpo S aber”, and with five family groups of children assisted in the clinic of a cityhospital in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro; it was analyzed according to the French discourse analysis. Results: The body hygiene was contextualized by relatives in multiple dimensions, such as: the selection of the time for hygiene, location and necessary adaptations to perform the procedure, the affectionate dimension present during the bath, and the bath of child with gastrostomy. Discussion: For the relatives, body hygiene is presented as a complex care procedure, as it involves routines and adaptations related to the demand of children; however, it permitted to create moments of relaxation and play. Conclusion: The cultural traits of each family supported their caring practices, demonstrating the challenges created by the complexity of the care practice towards the demands of the children.

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Brazil’s “Comfortable Racial Contradiction”

Race and the Brazilian Body ◽

10.1525/california/9780520293793.003.0001 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer Roth-Gordon

Keyword(s):

Race Relations ◽

Fairy Tales ◽

Rio De Janeiro ◽

Continuous Process ◽

Class Inequality ◽

Structural Racism ◽

Race And Class ◽

Racial Tolerance ◽

Racial Mixture ◽

Racial Exclusion

The introduction to this book briefly summarizes Brazilian race relations through an analysis of historical events and Brazilian fairy tales as well as current day examples including political cartoons and the author’s own experiences living in Rio de Janeiro with a multi-racial family. It is argued that Brazilians live with a “comfortable racial contradiction” that includes obvious structural racism, a racial ideology that promotes the superiority of whiteness and the inferiority of blackness, but also a pride in racial mixture and racial tolerance that was enforced by Brazil’s 20th century dictatorships. While this contradiction is not “comfortable” for all, the author explains how it perseveres in a new political context where racial insult and racial exclusion can be legally challenged. The chapter ends with a description of the “compulsory closeness” of Rio de Janeiro, where city residents live in a dramatic situation of side-by-side race and class inequality. Within this context, it is argued that Rio residents engage in a continuous process of “reading” bodies for signs of blackness and whiteness, signs that include cultural and linguistic practices such as the use of slang (gíria).

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