Dissertation Research: "Revitalizing" Salvador: Race, Gender, Black Women and Community Organizing in Brazil

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

This dissertation research project--to be conducted in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, by a cultural anthropology student from the University of Texas (Austin)--tests hypotheses regarding the roles of women in neighborhood political movements, and how the forms of participation affect the relative success of their activities. The project examines the efforts of emerging neighborhood movements to block or change the course of urban renewal projects that are intended to enhance leisure tourism but do so at the expense of black residential communities. As a theoretical foundation, the researcher draws from feminist theory, critical race theory, and recent work in urban politics. The research focuses on the participation of black women as major actors in these social movements and their role in grassroots mobilization. Data collection strategies include ethnographic interviews, surveys, participant observation, GIS-based mapping and archival research. The results of this study will contribute to the body of theory regarding black women's organizing, race relations in Brazil, and urban space. The student has established a collaborative affiliation with the Department of Human Sciences at the Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, thus enhancing cooperation in the international scientific community. Additional broader impacts of the project include its direct responsiveness to concerns expressed by the World Bank and Inter-American Bank about the status of "Afro-Latinos" in economic and political development.