CFP: Ideas of Race in Latin America

Many countries in Latin America have fashioned themselves as racial democracies or nations free from racism and with fluid racial lines and identities. Black activists, intellectuals, and cultural producers have worked to puncture and challenge these racial ideas. Many countries have recently adopted policies for racial inclusion, such as affirmative action (quotas in Brazil), including Black racial categories on the census, and elected Black politicians. The current ideas about race and Blackness in Latin America continue to require analysis and examination.

Black Perspectives, the award-winning blog of the African American Intellectual History Society, invites essays on the topic of “Post Racial Democracies?” Black Perspectives asks contributors to consider the continuation and interruption of ideas of racial democracy in Latin America. How are people of African descent challenging these ideas? How have Black intellectuals theorized their own understandings of racial dynamics in Latin America? What are the continuities and disruptions between past and present ideas of race in Latin America?  We encourage potential contributors to submit guest blog posts that explore topics that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Black writing and ideas about race and racism (Abdias do Nascimento, Manuel Zapata Olivella, Carolina Maria de Jesus)
• Black political advancements, such as the election of Francia Márquez in Colombia
• Social movements or activist collectives that advance ideas of race and Black experiences
• The life and legacy of Lélia Gonzalez
• The impact of Law 10.639 in Brazil, which mandates the teaching of Afro-Brazilian history and culture in schools

Submissions should be between 750 and 1500 words. They must be submitted to the senior editors no later than April 15th by 11:59 pm Eastern time. With your submission, please provide your bio (250-300 words) and a headshot (for use if your essay is accepted).

All submissions will undergo a peer review process before they are accepted. Please click here for more details on the blog’s submission guidelines as well as information regarding format and citations.