Shifting the Meaning of Democracy
World of Books
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Shifting the Meaning of Democracy by Jessica Lynn Graham
This book offers a historical analysis of one of the most striking and dramatic transformations to take place in Brazil and the United States during the twentieth century—the redefinition of the concepts of nation and democracy in racial terms. The multilateral political debates that occurred between 1930 and 1945 pushed and pulled both states towards more racially inclusive political ideals and nationalisms. Both countries utilized cultural production to transmit these racial political messages. At times working collaboratively, Brazilian and U.S. officials deployed the concept of “racial democracy” as a national security strategy, one meant to suppress the existential threats perceived to be posed by World War II and by the political agendas of communists, fascists, and blacks. Consequently, official racial democracy was limited in its ability to address racial inequities in the United States and Brazil. Shifting the Meaning of Democracy helps to explain the historical roots of a contemporary phenomenon: the coexistence of widespread antiracist ideals with enduring racial inequality.
"This study’s presentation of the issues of race and democracy in the United States and Brazil carefully places the issues, and how they were viewed in each country, in dramatic historical perspective" * Journal of Interdisciplinary History *
"In this comparative historical analysis of Brazil and the US, Graham provides an intriguing look at how debates on the meaning of democracy have intersected with fights for racial equality. . . . Recommended." * CHOICE *
"In a field as densely populated as comparative US-Brazilian racial formations, it is hard to say something new. Jessica Lynn Graham has done so in scintillating detail, with an admirable balance of subtlety and clarity that will serve as a model for future work." * Hispanic American Historical Review *
"In this comparative historical analysis of Brazil and the US, Graham provides an intriguing look at how debates on the meaning of democracy have intersected with fights for racial equality. . . . Recommended." * CHOICE *
"In a field as densely populated as comparative US-Brazilian racial formations, it is hard to say something new. Jessica Lynn Graham has done so in scintillating detail, with an admirable balance of subtlety and clarity that will serve as a model for future work." * Hispanic American Historical Review *
Jessica Lynn Graham is Assistant Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780520293755 |
| ISBN 10 | 0520293754 |
| Title | Shifting the Meaning of Democracy |
| Author | Jessica Lynn Graham |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | University of California Press |
| Year published | 2019-09-24 |
| Number of pages | 392 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |