{"id":1828,"date":"2018-02-23T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=1828"},"modified":"2018-02-20T15:19:29","modified_gmt":"2018-02-20T21:19:29","slug":"conceptions-of-race-in-the-americas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2018\/02\/23\/conceptions-of-race-in-the-americas\/","title":{"rendered":"Conceptions of Race in the Americas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by davecito, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Black History Month continues, we are reminded of the pivotal role that race plays in the United States. But how does race shape social life in other nations in the Americas? Despite similar historical roots — European colonial expansion and slavery — Brazil and Mexico, for example, witnessed the emergence of race mixing cultures that stood in stark contrast to the distinct racial divisions in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ideas about mestizaje —\u00a0or racial and cultural mixture — have had a powerful effect on racial identity and mobilization across 20th century Latin America. In Brazil, for instance, research suggests that the focus on racial mixture has made racial or color boundaries ambiguous, and racial group membership weak. Mixed-race individuals have been celebrated as national symbols — proof of past and hope for future positive race relations. Because of this, some Latin American countries view themselves as morally superior to the United States, with its history of segregation and investment in White racial \u201cpurity.\u201d<\/h5>\n