Brazilian Racial and Ethnic Identity in the U.S.: Issues with the U.S. Census and Public Policy
Brazilians immigrate to the United States and form racial/ethnic self-identifications based on the racial/ethnic schema of Brazil. This study explored Brazilian racial and ethnic identities as represented by the U.S. government in census data and Brazilians in the United States. It also endeavors to explain why Brazilians are undercounted in Census data and underrepresented in public policy. Social identity and racial formation theories served as the theoretical frameworks used to explain Brazilian racial/ethnic identity formation in the United States. Nine interviews of Brazilians were conducted, in which they were asked about their racial/ethnic identities in Brazil, the racialization process in the U.S., and their perceptions of the U.S. Census racial and ethnic categories. Data on race and ethnicity from the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Censuses were also analyzed. The study discovered that when Brazilians identify their race on the U.S. Census, they are heavily influenced by their racial and ethnic self-understanding developed in Brazil. This produces inaccurate U.S. census data, which exacerbates the undercount of the Brazilian population. The U.S. government must understand Brazilian racial and ethnic identities to better form Census categories that represent these identities to produce accurate Census data and more representative public policies.
School:
Binghamton University
Department:
Sociology and Latin American and Carribean Studies
Research Advisor:
Isabel Molina
Department of Research Advisor:
Institute of Communications Research
Year of Publication:
2008