Abstract:
Since the 1970s, post-colonial theories have been denouncing the continuity of the power relations and domination engendered during the colonial period. By calling into question the universality of Western societies in all its aspects, but especially in political and cultural terms, this theoretical approach emphasizes the need to remark difference. In this article, the aim is to problematize the relationship between postcolonial criticism and the affirmative political actions that are adopted with the supposed objective of promoting ethnic-racial diversity. The empirical object of research is the selection process of students who identify themselves as black, allowing them entrance to the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil, through the since 2007 adopted quota system.
Keywords:
Postcolonialism; Anti-racism; Recognition; Racial democracy