Branquitures / Whiteness
What does it mean to be white in Latin America? This new book, the result of a collaborative effort with MECILA, addresses a historically ignored question, focusing on the diverse and situated forms that whiteness takes in the region. It is not just about physical attributes, but also about structures of privilege, affections, cultural practices, and national narratives that have sustained racism under the guise of mestizaje and harmony. From a critical and collective perspective of the Global South, this work brings together pioneering research that explores the everyday and historical dynamics of white privilege in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and other contexts.
Mário Augusto Medeiros da Silva, Patricia de Santana Pinho, Roosbelinda Cárdenas and Hugo Cerón-Anaya (eds.)
What does it mean to be white in Latin America? The book Branquitudes/Blanquitudes: Latin American Dialogues on Conviviality and Inequality answers a historically ignored question, focusing on the diverse and situated forms that whiteness takes in the region. It is not only about physical attributes, but also about structures of privilege, affects, cultural practices, and national narratives that have sustained racism under the guise of mestizaje and harmony. From a critical and collective perspective of the Global South, this work brings together pioneering research that addresses the everyday and historical structures of white privilege in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and other contexts. Far from replicating Eurocentric frameworks, it introduces categories such as “extraordinary whiteness,” “whitegraphy,” and “confessional race,” which allow for a renewed understanding of the links between racism, conviviality, and neoliberalism. With voices from different generations, disciplines, and countries, this work invites us to decenter the racial debate and think about Latin America from its own historical, social, and epistemic conditions, in order to broaden the boundaries of global critical thought. Mara Viveros Vigoya (National University of Colombia).
Gills
