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The Reception of Du Bois in Brazilian Social Thought

This presentation aims to present the context and some of the impasses surrounding the reception of Du Bois in Brazilian social thought, focusing on four aspects: a) the context of affirmative action and quota policies in Brazilian universities and the emergence of new knowledge policies; b) the recent canonization of the author as a founding classic of modern sociology; c) the dialogue between Brazilian Black movements and Du Bois's thought; d) the conflicts surrounding the use of the notion of race in scientific analysis as well as in the implementation of public policies. It also aims to present the achievements of the Du Bois Project organized by the Afro-CEBRAP Nucleus, whose objective is to strengthen academic research, formative dialogue, and the reception of W.E.B. Du Bois's work in Brazil. The absence of a profound debate on his work has been a visible gap in the field of human sciences, particularly for classical sociological and anthropological theory, as well as in Brazilian intellectual and political debate. Through courses, book editing, thematic dossiers in specialized journals, technical reviews, and translations of the works of the African-American sociologist, this project aims to contribute to the scientific dissemination of his work in Portuguese. The project closely follows the contemporary re-evaluation of Du Bois as one of the founding classics of sociology and a key reference in the field of studies on race and racism in the formation of the modern world. In this sense, the objective is to expand the spaces for discussion of his work in universities and civil society, fostering new readings and theoretical and empirical investigations, but also making it accessible to high school teachers, students, activists, researchers, and people interested in a qualified, democratic, and pluralistic public sphere.

Bio

Matheus Gato de Jesus is a professor in the Department of Sociology at Unicamp. He is the coordinator and researcher of the Afro Nucleus/CEBRAP. He holds a master's and doctorate from the University of São Paulo. He was a visiting researcher at Princeton University and Harvard University. He is currently a visiting researcher at the Du Bois Center at the University of Massachusetts. He is the author and editor of several books and articles whose main themes are: racism, racial classifications, racial violence, Black intellectuals, literature, and post-abolition. He is the author of O Massacre dos Libertos: sobre raça e república (Editora Perspectiva, 2020), winner of the award for best scientific work from the National Association for Research in Social Sciences (ANPOCS) and a finalist for the Jabuti Prize.

Location: W. E. B. Du Bois Library, Floor 22, Room 2220, W. E. B. Du Bois Center