Abstract:

In 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois famously wrote that “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line”; but Du Bois also insisted that interactions between race and economic inequalities are not static. Based on a comparison of the changing dynamics of race and class in Brazil and South Africa – two of the world’s most unequal countries, both of which transitioned to democracy in the late 20th century – I suggest that while class tensions have become increasingly central to debates in South Africa, race has emerged as a new touchstone in Brazilian politics, reshaping political movements in both countries.

Bio:

Gay Seidman is Martindale Bascom Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests include labor and social movements, the sociology of development, gender, and political sociology, especially in South Africa, Brazil and other parts of the global South.

Reshaping societies: The changing dynamics of race and class in democratic Brazil and post-apartheid South Africa

Date: 6 December 2024

Time: 5:00pm – 6:00pm

Venue: Room 723, Cheng Yu Tung Tower, HKU

Registration Link: https://bit.ly/3V1BXmI