Cor, contexto e tradição: a pluralidade da experiência negra no Brasil

Abstract

This thesis proposes an analysis of the tensions and connections between Black identity, evangelical religiosity, and racial consciousness, focusing on the plural experiences of Black evangelical individuals in contemporary Brazil. By problematizing the limits of racial essentialism and homogeneous readings of Blackness, the study seeks to explore how trajectories of faith, belonging, and political engagement shape diverse ways of being Black. The research starts from the recognition that Black identity is not a fixed essence, but rather a historical and situated construction, mediated by multiple factors — among them, religion. Furthermore, the study examines the relationship between Black activism and organic intellectualism, reflecting on the exclusion of the debate around Black religious plurality from spaces of political and academic legitimacy. The investigation reveals the existence of an often-marginalized Black evangelical intellectualism that produces critical reflections on race, faith, citizenship, and social justice from peripheral and spiritual standpoints. Thus, the thesis contributes to broadening the understanding of various forms of racial consciousness and rethinking the parameters of Black activism and thought in Brazil.