The Metamorphosis of Black Movement Activists into Black Organic Intellectuals

Abstract

Examination of the profiles and trajectories of 15 current or past leaders of the Brazilian Association of Black Researchers points to the emergence in Brazil of a new category of intellectuals who may be called “black organic intellectuals”—academics with the marks of black ancestry (such as dark skin) who have been directly or indirectly influenced by the black social movements and therefore do not resign themselves to racial prejudice and discrimination and racial inequalities. The active academic ethos that guides their professional behavior as university professors leads them to study these inequalities and to promote policies aimed at racial equality and the elimination of racism from Brazilian society.