MISCEGENATING THE CIRCLE OF POWER: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, RACIAL DIVERSITY, AND DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY

Authors

  • Adilson José Moreira Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/rfdufpr.v61i2.43559

Keywords:

Affirmative action. Miscegenation. Diversity. Equality.

Abstract

This article defends the constitutionality of racial quotas in selection processes for public employment by reverting the premises of an argument commonly deployed against this policy. Many of its opponents claim that affirmative action is an inherently problematic measure because of the difficulty in identifying its beneficiaries in a racially mixed society such as ours. They also argue that racial and cultural amalgamation allowed the construction of a public morality that favors harmonious race relations among blacks and whites. This paper recognizes the relevance of racial mixing in the formation of the Brazilian national identity, but it supports racially conscious initiatives because those who control the majority of private and public institutions belong to the same racial group. This racial stratification is the product of various processes of social exclusion that affect negatively those of African and Amerindian descent, the same mechanisms that concentrate social opportunities among the members of the dominant racial group. This paper utilizes a substantive notion of diversity and certain principles of public administration in order to advocate racial miscegenation of the circles of power, a necessary step toward the democratization of the Brazilian society.

Author Biography

Adilson José Moreira, Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie

Doutor em Direito pela Universidade de Harvard (2013), Doutor em Direito Constitucional, Mestre em Direito e Bacharel em Direito pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Professor na Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (São Paulo, SP, Brasil).

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Published

2016-08-23

How to Cite

Moreira, A. J. (2016). MISCEGENATING THE CIRCLE OF POWER: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, RACIAL DIVERSITY, AND DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY. Revista Da Faculdade De Direito UFPR, 61(2), 117 – 148. https://doi.org/10.5380/rfdufpr.v61i2.43559

Issue

Vol. 61 No. 2 (2016)

Section

Artigos

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