Doctoral Dissertation Research: Class or Race? The Rise of Affirmative Action in Brazil, 2001 - 2010

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This research project investigates the recent rise of affirmative action policies within public, higher education in Brazil in order to explore the institutional and social factors that contributed to the development and successful deployment of these policies. Led by social movements, state actors, advocacy organizations and academics, the Brazilian state has recently adopted affirmative action policies and programs to combat racial inequality. This action represented a rapid policy shift. The meaning of race and the categories for the new policies are currently being created. This research project investigates the dynamics of this political process by analyzing the factors affecting the policy designs and the subsequent programs created to achieve the goal of affirmative action in higher education. The research focuses on a comparative analysis of five selected sites in Brazil. The research plan involves interviews with key stakeholders and coding of selected court and public documents.Affirmative action policies remain an area of active acacademic and public discussion. The consideration of these policies, in a more comparative context, should facilitate a greater level of understanding generally of the factors that shape the development and implementation of public policy in this area.