Black Geographies: Racial Capitalism, Geo-Ontological Exile, and Struggles for Life in Brazil

Stella Paterniani

State University of Campinas (UNICAMP)

"Occupations against whitopia"

• This presentation is part of an ongoing research into the concept of resisting whitopia. Drawing from two ethnographic studies conducted in São Paulo, I will examine the dynamics of urban development and resistance. Firstly, I will analyze promotional materials from real estate developments, whether in informal settlements, favelas, or established neighborhoods, which serve as focal points for speculative real estate expansion. Utilizing sketches of proposed development plans and insights gleaned from ethnographic encounters during my doctoral research, I will explore the ontological conflicts arising between residents of marginalized communities and the dystopian development projects characteristic of whitopia speculation. Secondly, I will delve into a confrontation unfolding since 2022 in the Bixiga region. During excavations for a new subway line, an archaeological site was unearthed, coinciding with the relocation of the Vai-Vai samba school headquarters, further highlighting the historical significance of the Saracura quilombo in the region and the pervasive influence of whiteness in the State's developmental agenda. In response, local residents and the Black movement have mobilized as the Saracura/Vai-Vai Movement, advocating for the renaming of the future subway station to Saracura/Vai-Vai, along with initiatives promoting education and heritage memory rooted in the quilombo's history and the neighborhood's Black identity, as well as policies to support the Blackpopulation's presence in the area. Ultimately, I will argue the existence of a tension between a humanity that claims to be all-encompassing but does not include some existences, and a hacking of this humanity by refusing the ontological impossibility of Black life.

• Stella Z. Paterniani is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). She holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Brasília. Her research focuses on housing rights movements, student movements, and the Black movement. She works on housing policy and anti-Blackness, and Black praxis as speculative fiction.

Igor de Sousa

UEMA/UFRGS

"Agrarian conflicts through the lens of babaçu coconut breakers and quilombola women in Maranhão/Brazil"

• Based on my fieldwork with babaçu coconut breakers and quilombola women in Maranhão, a state in northeastern Brazil, I will analyze agrarian conflicts from perspectives beyond mere capitalist expansion or disputes over resource-rich territories. Insights from these women and their communities shed light on Black social geographies shaped by ongoing racial violence. These geographies impact their daily lives and territories, reflecting the enduring legacies of slavery in contemporary development policies. These policies seek to reclaim land while perpetuating racial inequalities, portraying Blackness as unworthy within modernity’s white aspirations.

• Igor de Sousa holds a PhD in Sociology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (2022), a master's degree in Social Anthropology from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (2016), and a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from the State University of Maranhão (2013). He is a researcher affiliated with the research group Social Struggles, Equality, and Diversity (GPEXLIDA/UEMA) and the Urgent Laboratory of Armed Theories (LUTA/UFRGS). Igor de Sousa has experience in the fields of Anthropology and Sociology, with emphasis on rurality, native people and communities, Black women, territories and anti-Black violence.

Priscila dos Anjos

UC Santa Cruz / Fulbright

“Water Landscapes in Coastal Communities of Southern Brazil: Water Access and Infrastructure Inequalities in the Context of Climate Change”

• Brazil boasts approximately 12% of the world’s freshwater reserves. Despite this seemingly abundant resource, many communities across the country face water scarcity and unequal access to infrastructure. My research delves into the intricate relationships between infrastructure, landscapes, and social and ecological histories, aiming to illuminate how they influence the circulation and stagnation of water in a city in southern Brazil. Through the lens of ethnographic data gathered between 2021 and 2023 in Florianópolis, Brazil, this study documents the evolving urban landscape, with a particular focus on water infrastructures. By examining how water infrastructure shapes urban living over time, my project sheds light on its role in perpetuating racial, gender, and class disparities while also exploring its impact on notions of citizenship in the context of climate change.

• Priscila dos Anjos is a PhD candidate in Social Anthropology at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). She is also a Visiting Researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Fulbright fellow 2024. Her research interests include water infrastructure, environment, landscapes, and everyday techniques and practices for water access. Her current research analyzes community and state water infrastructures to understand how infrastructures built over time create different modes of inhabiting, promote access inequalities related to race, gender, and class in the city, and mobilize other notions of citizenship. She is part of the Collective Studies in Environments, Perceptions, and Practices (CANOA) at UFSC.

Denilson Oliveira

Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ)

“Black geographies of the Brazilian Black genocide”

• The primary aim of this study is to understand the possibilities and limits of the concepts of racism and anti-Blackness in interpreting police actions/operations in favela areas in Rio de Janeiro. Our hypothesis posits that these policing interventions have engendered dehumanizing experiences grounded in racial discrimination. Through an examination of various forms of resistance mounted by mothers, family members, human rights advocates, and the Black movement, we aim to gain insight into the contested terrain of security policies.

• Denilson Araújo de Oliveira is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Geography in the Department of Human Geography at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ); Professor in the Graduate Program in Geography at the Faculty of Faculty of Teacher Training of UERJ and in the Graduate Program in Culture and Territorialities of UFF. He is the Coordinator of NEGRA (Center for Study and Research in Regional Geography of Africa and the Diaspora). He is also a member of the Program of Studies and Debates of African and Afro-American Peoples (PROAFRO/UERJ), and a member of the BlackMovement Instituto Búzios.

Reinaldo Oliveira

Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP)

“Black cities in Brazil: theoretical and methodological contributions to confronting anti-Black policies”

• Over the past 25 years, my academic journey—spanning undergraduate, master's, PhD, and post-doctoral studies—has been dedicated to critically examining and understanding urban contexts and ethnic-racial relations in Brazilian cities. I have explored topics such as Black territorialities, racial segregation, and the emergence of Blackcities. This presentation will focus on analyzing readings and interpretations rooted in these urban territories: on one hand, we will delve into issues of segregation, racism, and inequalities; on the other hand, we will explore symbols, culture, and political actions, particularly within the urban areas of Bahia state. Despite the prevalence of a Blackmajority in Bahia's 417 cities, intersecting inequalities—shaped by social class, gender, ethnicity, race, and territory—reinforce Blackoverrepresentation in the hierarchy of social disparities. Thus, this presentation seeks to critically examine and interpret Brazilian urban landscapes, especially in Bahia, a region historically shaped by anti-Black politics. Moreover, it underscores the imperative for policy frameworks aimed at combating racism and fostering ethnic-racialequity and social justice within Brazilian cities.

• Reinaldo Oliveira is a professor in the Department of Human Sciences and Philosophy at the State University of Feira de Santana (UEFS) and holds a PhD in Social Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP). He was a postdoctoral fellow with support from the CAPES International Scholarship Program (PNPD). He serves as a Collaborating Professor at the Center for Studies and Research in Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Identity, Blackness, and Society (NEPPINS) at UFRB. His research and teaching interests are urban studies, ethnic-racial relations, racial segregation, territory, and the health of the Black population.