Racism in South America

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The continent of South America is culturally and racially diverse. This article examines by country and region the current and historical trends in race relations and racism within South America. Racism of various forms is to be found worldwide. [1] Racism is widely condemned throughout the world, with 170 states signatories of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by August 8, 2006. [2] In different countries, the forms that racism takes may be different for historic, cultural, religious, economic or demographic reasons.

Contents

Argentina

Indigenous people, immigrants, Afro-Argentines, mestizos, Jews and Arabs are targets of discrimination in Argentina. [3]

Bolivia

Bolivia is composed of many cultures, including the Aymara, the Quechua, and the Guarani. [4] "Pure" native American people are in general deemed inferior by mestizos and people of European origin. The economic difficulties of the population, the education level of all groups, the economic level of the natives, and the predominant prejudice inherited from colonial times mainly in urban areas aggravates the treatment. The situation has worsened in the last year. The elites, formed mainly by people of foreign origin in the Eastern region, claimed autonomy as a result of the probable redistribution of land, which would go from the more privileged people to the less privileged people [5] (specifically, the Guarani natives and other indigenous people).

On October 10, 2010, the Law Against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination (Spanish: Ley 045 Contra el Racismo y Toda Forma de Discriminación; commonly known as the Law Against Racism) was passed by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia as Law 045. [6] This law intends to combat racism and discrimination, but as of February 2014, no convictions had been recorded. [7] Due to this lack of convictions, the legislation has been widely criticized by the Bolivian media as being a dead letter. [8]

In La Paz, Afro-Bolivians are often discriminated. [9]

Brazil

In the immediate aftermath of Dom Pedro’s abdication in 1831, the poor people of color, including slaves, staged anti-Portuguese riots in the streets of Brazil's larger cities. [10]

Racism in Brazil has long been characterized by a belief in racial democracy. An ideology stating that racial prejudice is not a significant factor in Brazilian society, and that racism is not an obstacle to employment, education, and social mobility the way some believe it is in other countries. This theory has come under fire in recent years by researchers who say that racism is very much a factor in the country's social life.

Despite the majority of the country's population being of mixed (Pardo), African, or indigenous heritage, depictions of non-European Brazilians on the programming of most national television networks is scarce and typically relegated for musicians/their shows. In the case of telenovellas, Brazilians of darker skin tone are typically depicted as housekeepers or in positions of lower socioeconomic standing. This is a reflection of the economic inequality among races in Brazil, with mixed (Pardo), African and indigenous population constituting the majority of the poor. In addition, the national wealth and income concentrated in the white families.

In a sign that some Brazilian universities have come to see racism as an obstacle to higher education, several of them have created positive action programs aimed at increasing the admission of Afro-Brazilians and members of the native population. [11]

Chile

,, Afro-Chileans and Haitians are discriminated in Chile. [12]

Guyana

There is a long history of racial tension between the Indo-Guyanese people and the Afro-Guyanese. [13] [14]

Guyana's racial tensions originate in the colonial period in it. Africans were brought to Guyana as slaves and were put to work in sugar and cotton plantations, whereas Indians were brought to Guyana as indentured servants and took the place of Africans that worked on plantations. These historical encounters led to discriminatory stereotyping. For example, Africans were viewed as strong, but lazy. The Indians were viewed as hardworking, but greedy. These groups of people were both used as labor for British colonists, however they both had different stereotypes given to them which affected how one race viewed the other. [15]

Racial tensions in Guyana started to divide more when it came to politics. After the British left and Guyana was freed, the government in Guyana was completely split. When people ran for president it became more of a racial issue, where Indians favored other Indians, which were called the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), and the Afro-Guyanese people favored their own kind of people as well and became their own party called the People’s National Congress (PNC). This split happened during president Cheddi Jagan ruling time.[ citation needed ]

Racial tensions continued to escalate in the 1900s [ clarification needed ] when Afro-Guyanese people would preach “Africa for Africans.” It did empower the Afro-Guyanese group of people; however, it did divide the country even more. The Indo-Guyanese people also began showing more pride in being Indian, and the women would begin wearing Indian garb. Whenever one race would try and boost themselves, the other race would follow, turning this into a competition in Guyana.[ citation needed ]

Today Guyana is extremely divided, and if you go to one group of Guyanese people, they would tend to bash the other group of Guyanese people. A study by Monroe College mentions that Indo-Guyanese people, and Afro-Guyanese people seek protection, and vice versa with Afro-Guyanese group of people.

Venezuela

When the Venezuelan War of Independence started, the Spanish enlisted the Llaneros, playing on their dislike of the criollos of the independence movement. During this time, José Tomás Boves led an army of llaneros which routinely killed white Venezuelans. After several more years of war, the country achieved independence from Spain in 1821. [16]

In Venezuela, like other South American countries, economic inequality often breaks along ethnic and racial lines. [17] A 2013 Swedish academic study stated that Venezuela was the most racist country in the Americas, [17] followed by the Dominican Republic. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xenophobia</span> Dislike of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange

Xenophobia is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression which is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-group and an out-group and it may manifest itself in suspicion of one group's activities by members of the other group, a desire to eliminate the presence of the group which is the target of suspicion, and fear of losing a national, ethnic, or racial identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Guyana</span> Demographics of country

This is a demography of Guyana including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

The history of Guyana begins about 35,000 years ago with the arrival of humans coming from Eurasia. These migrants became the Carib and Arawak tribes, who met Alonso de Ojeda's first expedition from Spain in 1499 at the Essequibo River. In the ensuing colonial era, Guyana's government was defined by the successive policies of Spanish, French, Dutch, and British settlers. During the colonial period, Guyana's economy was focused on plantation agriculture, which initially depended on slave labor. Guyana saw major slave rebellions in 1763 and 1823. Following the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, 800,000 enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and South Africa were freed, resulting in plantations contracting indentured workers, mainly from India. Eventually, these Indians joined forces with Afro-Guyanese descendants of slaves to demand equal rights in government and society. After the Second World War, the British Empire pursued policy decolonization of its overseas territories, with independence granted to British Guiana on May 26, 1966. Following independence, Forbes Burnham of the rose to power, quickly becoming an authoritarian leader, pledging to bring socialism to Guyana. His power began to weaken following international attention brought to Guyana in wake of the Jonestown mass murder suicide in 1978.

<i>Mestizo</i> Spanish term to denote a person with mixed European and non-European indigenous ancestry

Mestizo is a person of mixed European and indigenous non-European ancestry in the Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though their ancestors are indigenous. The term was used as an ethno-racial exonym for mixed-race castas that evolved during the Spanish Empire. It was a formal label for individuals in official documents, such as censuses, parish registers, Inquisition trials, and others. Priests and royal officials might have classified persons as mestizos, but individuals also used the term in self-identification.

The terms multiracial people or mixed-race people are used to refer to people who are of more than one race and the terms multi-ethnic people or ethnically-mixed people are used to refer to people who are of more than one ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including multiethnic, polyethnic, occasionally bi-ethnic, Métis, Muwallad, Colored, Dougla, half-caste, ʻafakasi, mestizo, mutt, Melungeon, quadroon, octoroon, sambo/zambo, Eurasian, hapa, hāfu, Garifuna, pardo, and Gurans. A number of these terms are now considered offensive, in addition to those that were initially coined for pejorative use. "Melezi" are called the offspring of Muslim Romani men and woman of host populations.

<i>Zambo</i> Persons of mixed African and Amerindian ancestry

Zambo or Sambu is a racial term historically used in the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed Indigenous and African ancestry. Occasionally in the 21st century, the term is used in the Americas to refer to persons who are of mixed African and Indigenous American ancestry.

Afro–Latin Americans or Black Latin Americans are Latin Americans of full or mainly sub-Saharan African ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forbes Burnham</span> Leader of Guyana from 1964 to 1985

Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham was a Guyanese politician and the leader of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana from 1964 until his death in 1985. He served as Premier of British Guiana from 1964 to 1966, Prime Minister of Guyana from 1964 to 1980 and then as the first Executive President of Guyana from 1980 to 1985. He is often regarded as a strongman who embraced his own version of socialism.

Afro-Guyanese are generally descended from the enslaved people brought to Guyana from the coast of West Africa to work on sugar plantations during the era of the Atlantic slave trade. Coming from a wide array of backgrounds and enduring conditions that severely constrained their ability to preserve their respective cultural traditions contributed to the adoption of Christianity and the values of British colonists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of South America</span>

As of 2017, South America has an estimated population of 418.76 million people.

Black Hispanic and Latino Americans, also called Afro-Hispanics, Afro-Latinos or Black Hispanics, or Black Latinos are classified by the United States Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget, and other U.S. government agencies as Black people living in the United States with ancestry in Spain, Portugal or Latin America and/or who speak Spanish, and/or Portuguese as their first language.

Racism in North America and the state of race relations there are described in this article. Racism manifests itself in different ways and severities throughout North America depending on the country. Colonial processes shaped the continent culturally, demographically, religiously, economically, and linguistically. Racism was part of that process and is exemplified throughout North America today but varies regionally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guyana</span> Country in South America

Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is most probably an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the south and southwest, Venezuela to the west, and Suriname to the east. With 215,000 km2 (83,000 sq mi), Guyana is the third-smallest sovereign state by area in mainland South America after Uruguay and Suriname, and is the second-least populous sovereign state in South America after Suriname; it is also one of the least densely populated countries on Earth. It has a wide variety of natural habitats and a very high biodiversity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guyanese people</span> South American ethnic group

The people of Guyana, or Guyanese, come from a wide array of backgrounds and cultures including aboriginal natives, also known as Amerindians, those of Indian and African origins, as well as a minority of Chinese and European descendent peoples. Demographics as of 2012 are Indian 39.8%, Afro-Guyanese 30.1%, mixed race 19.9%, Amerindian 10.5%, other 1.5%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Race and ethnicity in Latin America</span>

There is no single system of races or ethnicities that covers all modern Latin America, and usage of labels may vary substantially.

The Law Against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination is a statute passed by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia as Law 045 and promulgated by President Evo Morales into law as Law 737/2010 on 10 October 2010. The law prohibits discrimination and discriminatory aggression by public and private institutions and individuals, creates a governmental Committee Against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination, and bars the dissemination of racist and discriminatory ideas through the mass media. The provisions of the law applying to the media caused extensive controversy and were opposed by mainstream publications and media worker associations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism</span>

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<i>Blanqueamiento</i> "Whitening" of a race, such as marrying a white person so as to have lighter-skinned children

Blanqueamiento in Spanish, or branqueamento in Portuguese, is a social, political, and economic practice used in many post-colonial countries in the Americas and Oceania to "improve the race" towards a supposed ideal of whiteness. The term blanqueamiento is rooted in Latin America and is used more or less synonymously with racial whitening. However, blanqueamiento can be considered in both the symbolic and biological sense. Symbolically, blanqueamiento represents an ideology that emerged from legacies of European colonialism, described by Anibal Quijano's theory of coloniality of power, which caters to white dominance in social hierarchies. Biologically, blanqueamiento is the process of whitening by marrying a lighter-skinned individual to produce lighter-skinned offspring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Guyana</span> Overview of the status of women in Guyana

Women in Guyana are a cross-section of Asian, African, and indigenous backgrounds. British colonization and imperialism have contributed to the sexism against Guyanese women in the household, politics, and education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indigenous peoples in Guyana</span> Earliest inhabitants of Guyana

Indigenous peoples in Guyana, Native Guyanese, or Amerindian Guyanese are Guyanese people who are of indigenous ancestry. They comprise approximately 9.16% of Guyana's population. Amerindians are credited with the invention of the canoe, as well as Cassava-based dishes and Guyanese pepperpot, the national dish of Guyana. Amerindian languages have also been incorporated in the lexicon of Guyanese Creole.

References

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  2. "Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 68th and 69th session". United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
  3. "Racial Discrimination in Argentina - University of Dayton".
  4. Bolívar, Simón (2018), "Inventing Bolivia", The Bolivia Reader, Duke University Press, pp. 152–159, doi:10.1215/9780822371618-036, ISBN   978-0-8223-7161-8 , retrieved 2022-02-19
  5. Valdivia, Fernando Crespo, ed. (1991). AN ANALYSIS OF LAND DISTRIBUTION AND CONCENTRATION IN BOLIVIA. Graduate Research Master's Degree Plan B Papers.
  6. Plurinational Legislative Assembly. Ley 045 Archived 2012-10-04 at the Wayback Machine . October 2010.
  7. Bolivia’s Anti-Racism Law – Not Worth the Paper It’s Written On? . February 2014.
  8. Bolivian press says final anti-racism law softens penalties for media Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, University of Texas at Austin, December 2010
  9. La Paz Bolivia & Beyond.
  10. "Instructional Support Center". Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  11. Plummer, Robert. "Black Brazil Seeks a Better Future."BBC News, São Paulo 25 September 2006. 16 November 2006 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5357842.stm>.
  12. "Chile - World Directory of Minorities & Indigenous Peoples".
  13. "BBCCaribbean.com - News - Guyana turns attention to racism" . Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  14. "Conflict between East Indians and Blacks" . Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  15. "Conflict between East Indians and Blacks" . Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  16. "globalpr.org" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 17, 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  17. 1 2 3 Fisher, Max (May 15, 2013). "Map shows world's 'most racist' countries". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)