Summary Of Kia Caldwell's 'Negras In Brazil'

Kia Caldwell distinguishes herself from previous scholars in the subject of her investigations of her book Negras in Brazil, by stating that her African descent. She draws upon her descent as a unique way to view the experience and struggles of black women in Brazil. She mentions that her gender, age, national origin, and race gave her an edge into understanding Afro-Brazilian women. Caldwell stated the previous scholars before her were U.S.-based black researchers and her race and gender was crucial to understanding Brazilian racial and gender dynamics (xv). Caldwell later states that her African decent provides her with insiderness and that the anthropologists that came before her should take advantage of their ethnographic background when
The term mulata has become synonymous with prostitute and traveling European men come to Brazil for the purpose of sexual tourism. Representation of black women in brazil bring these notion of Brazil being a racial-sexual country. Black women in Brazil are suppressed into the role of ‘side pieces’ and entertainment for the public. Controlling images of black women in the media portray Afro-Brazilian women as ‘altruistic caretakers’ of white Brazilians. Afro-Brazilian women face verbal racial epithets that perpetuate the subordination of Afro-Brazilian women. There is a stigma of sexuality with black women as it is deemed their role in Brazil. In Brazil, blackness is encouraged to be diluted with the hegemonic features of European descent. European phenotypes on women are more beautiful and women of mixed racial ancestry are more accepting than those who are
Not identifying as black brings an ‘easier’ life and many tend to distance themselves from blackness. Regina identified herself as black. Regina does not believe in on someone being called mulatas or morenas, either you are black or white. Regina came to terms with her blackness when she started to accept her body. Regina accepted her body image of being a black woman. Both Gislene and Regina had therapy which helped them with their childhood experiences of the nonexistent talk about blackness in their homes. Racial socialization is absent in many Afro-Brazilian households led to a reluctance of identifying as black. Families not talking about their race perpetuated negative views of blackness and pursuing to be white is encouraged while blackness was not discussed (111). In Brazil there are black movements and black women’s movement with an increase of black women being portrayed in the media. Afro-Brazilian models are key figures that help bring the process of more people identifying as black. Gislene’s closest friends are black and when she talks about eu mulher (woman) she discusses it with her black friends and not her white friends. Unlike Regina, Gislene identifies herself just as eu mulher. Adriana identifies her self as black because she felt ‘invisible’ in Brazil when she noticed the attention she got form