Statecraft in black social movements, party politics, and the rise of ethnoracial institutions in brazil Giovani Rocha

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Rocha, Giovani, author.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania. Political Science., degree granting institution.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political science.

Black studies.

Latin American studies.

European studies.

0615.

0325.

0550.

0440.

Local Subjects:

Political science.

Black studies.

Latin American studies.

European studies.

0615.

0325.

0550.

0440.

Genre:

Academic theses

Physical Description:

1 online resource (456 pages)

Contained In:

Dissertations Abstracts International 87-12A

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2026

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Afro-Brazilians comprise more than half of Brazil's population. Yet, they continue to experience disproportionately high levels of poverty, lower educational attainment, political underrepresentation, exclusion from decision-making arenas, and systemic exposure to both state and social violence. In response to these enduring inequalities, state- and municipal-level governments have established a range of institutional measures, including anti-discrimination laws, affirmative action policies, participatory councils, and dedicated bureaucratic agencies. Despite the expansion of these initiatives, however, we know little about the political conditions under which they emerge and become institutionalized, particularly at the subnational level. This dissertation addresses this gap by examining the development of what I conceptualize as the ethnoracial state apparatus: the set of state institutions explicitly designed to shape racial and ethnic hierarchies. Focusing on Brazil, I employ a mixed-methods research design that combines statistical analysis with process-tracing case studies. The findings point to a layered explanation. At a broad level, municipalities governed by left-leaning executives and characterized by more progressive electorates are systematically more likely to adopt racial equality institutions. At the same time, causal leverage at the electoral margin is more limited, suggesting that these patterns reflect underlying political configurations rather than discrete electoral shifts alone. Building on this, the qualitative analysis identifies the mechanism through which these configurations are translated into institutional change. Drawing on extensive empirical evidence, I show that the relationship between political ideology and institutionalization operates through a movement-party alliance mechanism: since Brazil's democratic transition, Black activists have strategically engaged political parties - particularly those on the left - as a pathway to institutional transformation. As a result, municipalities and states in which Black movement actors forged sustained alliances with leftist coalitions were more likely to adopt and consolidate the institutional architecture that now constitutes the ethnoracial state apparatus. More broadly, the dissertation demonstrates how partisan dynamics and movement alliances jointly structure the adoption of state institutions, offering a novel account of the political determinants of racial equality policy and illuminating forms of Black statecraft in processes of institutional transformation

Notes:

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-12, Section: A.

Advisors: Falleti, Tulia G.; Hanchard, Michael G. Committee members: Esberg, Jane; Perry, Keisha-Khan Y.

Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania 2026

Vendor supplied data

Local Notes:

School code: 0175

ISBN:

9798247982807

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license