Published in Brazil, Karl Monsma's book A reprodução do racismo: Fazendeiros, negros e imigrantes no oeste paulista, 1880–1914 has the bold objective of discussing race relations and social practices in Brazil. Monsma's rich and extensive research constitutes an important contribution to the study of Brazilian society and culture. Racism is the book's main focus, which he analyzes from the rather original perspective of the reproduction of racist habitus within different social groups.
Our roots—be they Amerindian, European, African, or a mixture of these—were a crucial part of an intellectual and artistic movement in Brazil concerned with the construction of national identity. Those in the Brazilian social tradition sought through racial questions to construct a conciliatory foundation that avoided touching on race in a conflictive manner. The critiques that emerged against this tradition were disproportionate in that they sought to discredit authors and their works. I cite as an example the...
