Monday, June 26, 2006

When is a Hispanic not a Hispanic? - Brazilians in U.S. face racial dilemma


Brazilians in the U.S. feel that they are “invisible” since they are uncomfortable with being placed into a single racial or cultural group and this has led to political and social problems such as under representation in the Census. The reluctance for Brazilians in the U.S. to simplify their racial status has an historical precedence (as was covered in a previous post) along with the view that Brazilians are “different” from other Latin Americans.

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Actually I think it's alot bigger. i think that overall people forget that Hispanic/Latino is not a racial catagory because latinos/hispanics can be of any race and are usually multi-racial. The problem with the term hispanic is that it is linked to a colonial history with Spain which clearly is not the case with Brazil. A more modern usage of the Latino label included Brazil because of geography (starting from Mexico on through the Caribbean and through South America). The problem is that race in the U.S. is still very much thought in black and white terms which is not reality for many Latinos

11:11 AM
Erwin C. said...

Your comment is spot on, Maegan. Race from the perspective of the "norteamericano" is distinct from the perspective of the "latinoamericano." Trying to reconcile between the two viewpoints is where conflicts arise.

The problems surrounding race reminds me of the chapter on race relations from the 1992 documentary series "Americas". (This is why it's taken me so long to reply to your comment; all day I was trying to remember name of the series!) Part of it focused on race in the Dominican Republic including how the two abovementioned views on race clashed during the Trujillo regime. Excellent series and not too dated, thankfully.

One of the main points of the article that caught my eye had to do with Brazilians viewing themselves as different than Latin Americans. Is this the case only for Brazilians or does it appear as widespread in people from other countries? (My simple p.o.v.- this is found in other countries but perhaps not to the extent of the Brazilians, though I suspect the article exaggerated a bit).

8:54 PM
Anonymous said...

My wife is Brazilian and she dislikes being labled a hispanic. She is white and of Portuguese descent. She speaks Portuguese and not Spanish. She does not appreciate being put in the same category as Mexicans and Central Americans.

12:50 PM
Erwin C. said...

Anonymous: If your wife does not like being labeled as Hispanic then what would she label herself as? Also, why exactly does she not "appreciate being put in the same category as Mexicans and Central Americans"? (I hope you don't mind, but I ask out of genuine curiousity).

1:07 PM
Anonymous said...

Dear Erwin,
My wife would like to be able to check a box for Brazilian. I think her national identity is influenced by a strong sense of nationalism, that Brazil is of a higher culture. I know people from Curitiba who blame the vandelism in the parks on the Argentines and do not think very highly of them. I have heard businessmen complain about Chileans and Argentines who call and instead of saying "bom dia!", they say "buenos dias!". I am sure that Chileans and Argentines may have their complaints as well. I have yet to meet a Brazilian who was shy about being Brazilian. Also, a tangent from this topic. There is a very intersting article in the Economist on the issue of racial quotas in Brazil. Week of July 17th. Keep up the good work, I enjoy viewing your blog.

3:28 PM

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