Contributed by Beatriz Torres do Nascimento
“From Brazil to the U.S.: The Reconfiguration of Privilege and Racial Identity Among Brazilian Immigrants”, is my graduate research project at UConn. My research investigates how the myth of racial democracy—an identity deeply rooted in the formation of Brazilian society—shapes the experiences of Brazilian immigrants when they arrive in the United States, where racialization and its distinctions appear in much more visible and explicit ways. With this in mind, my research contextualizes the myth of racial democracy in Brazil and reflects on the different experiences of Brazilian immigrants based on skin color. This includes immigrants who were already aware of Brazil’s racial issues, although racism there manifests in more subtle ways than in the U.S., as well as immigrants who considered themselves white in Brazil but, upon arriving here, lose part of the privileges granted by the “Whiteness Pact.”
I am very grateful for having received the Elizabeth Mahan Fellowship this summer, because without it, it would not have been possible to do my field research in Governador Valadares, since the city is in a different state than my family lives in Brazil. During my ethnographic work, I was able to connect a lot with the local culture, beyond only with the interviewees. It was interesting to see in practice what I had been reading about how the city of Valadares operates from a culture completely influenced by the USA and the people from there who emigrated, their families and also by the returners. Although I ended up interviewing two participants less than planned (one less immigrant in Massachusetts and, consequently, one less family member in Brazil), due to the long wait I had until I got the IRB (I ended up getting the IRB authorization when I was already close to boarding for Brazil), so I had much less time to get participants in Massachusetts, I believe that the findings were not affected by this. In addition to the participants and their family members forming a diverse group, capable of representing different realities, in the remaining time I was in Valadares, I made important field notes and also interviewed more people than planned.
First, I was able to meet with Prof. Sueli Siqueira, main researcher in the area and internationally recognized, where she received me in her office and shared a lot with me. In addition, I also met a therapist who works on a project that serves returners, another researcher in the area, and also a representative of a cooperative that also seeks to help returners. Therefore, the money I was going to use with the missing participant, I used to get around for these other interviews, in addition to buying food for when I went to a participant’s house.
Finally, I would like to highlight that in addition to the results that this fieldwork generated for my research, the best part was having connected with incredible people who opened the doors of their homes for me. As was the case of a participant’s grandma, who invited me to Sunday lunch with her whole family.