Affirmative Action in Higher Education and Afro-Descendant Women in Bahia, Brazil
Issue Date
2011-05-31Author
Aubel, Maraci G.
Publisher
University of Kansas
Format
118 pages
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
M.A.
Discipline
Latin American Studies
Rights
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Affirmative Action in Higher Education and Afro-Descendant Women in Bahia, Brazil In 2001, the federal government of Brazil under President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995 - 2003) passed laws to remedy racial and socioeconomic inequality. Responding to pressure from civil society and especially from black feminist and black social movements, Cardoso's affirmative action policy set quotas to expand access to Brazil's public services and universities for blacks, women, indigenous peoples, and people with disabilities. My thesis focuses on affirmative action in higher education and examines to what extent Afro-descendant women can actually attain upward mobility, and to what extent Cardoso's program enhances educational opportunities, closes socioeconomic gaps, and decreases racial inequalities for black women in southern Bahia, Brazil. Through qualitative research interviews, I present the perspectives of university female students regarding Cardoso's reforms and their impact on Brazil's higher education system. This research illustrates central aspects of Brazil's racial dilemma--a dream of racial democracy versus the reality of racial inequality.
Collections
Items in KU ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
We want to hear from you! Please share your stories about how Open Access to this item benefits YOU.