Whiteness in universities and its nuances in current Brazilian society

Abstract

Whiteness is a concept that explains the position of white people in the relations of power linked to the hierarchization of races, being an imposition inherited by colonialism. Blackness, on the other hand, encompasses the characteristics of black people, its history, culture and religion, in order to demarcate the differences shown, with contempt, by the white population, but which trace the history of black people in Brazil. The intention of studying these concepts together is to show that, historically, the white population has been privileged over the black population and that the consequences generated by the relations of power imply the deterioration of the quality and possibilities of life of the black population. The myth of racial democracy and meritocracy are responsible for the lack of interest in understanding that white privilege guarantees the best positions in society for white people and destines the worst situations for black people. The structural racism that generates institutional racism has affected Brazilian universities, in the sense of not allowing or hindering the realization of social research using epistemologies from African authors that have influenced Afro-Brazilian authors in the formulation of theories that help in the understanding of ethnic-racial relations in the country.