National Integration and Minority Groups in the First Half of 20th Century in Brazil : African-Brazilians and Japanese-Brazilians in a "Mulatto Society"

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In this research project, we investigated the historical backgrounds of so-called "racial and ethnic generosity" of the contemporary Brazilian society which is often considered one of the most generous society in terms of racial and ethnic diversity, as well as self-images and movements for civil rights of the racial and ethnic minorities that have really existed in the Brazilian society. Among others, we picked up two minority groups that can be said have particular characteristics as non-European origin : African-Brazilians and Japanese-Brazilians. And we analyzed mainly these three issues : (1) Ideas and reality of the nationalism reflected in the immigration and labor policies ; (2) Formation of consciousness of racial and ethnic minorities of African- and Japanese-Brazilians and their organization as communities ; (3) Introduction and interpretation of "racial theories" and advent of the idea of "mulatto society". As a result, we revealed the process of introduction and interpretation of racial thoughts (or racialism) in Brazil through Abolitionist movement in the second half of 19th Century and debates on the ways by which "freedmen" would be integrated as citizens into the "national" society of Brazil. On the other hand, we discussed that Vargas's policy of nationalist tendency, that is policy of national integration expressed in such as so-called "2% article" of the Brazilian Constitution of 1934 caused some cleavage between the Japanese residents in Brazil and Japanese authorities over the image of "racial and ethnic generosity", while stimulated formation of Japanese community as new ethnicity in the Brazilian society in that period.