Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 55 n. 1 Rio de Janeiro 2012
Abstract
This article compares agreement among racial classification schemes in Brazil, considering measurement methodologies with three categories (white, brown, and black) and two (white and black). The racial taxonomic uncertainty is illustrated by the statistically reliable estimates of the probabilities of being white or black, adjusting for individual characteristics, parents' color, and categorization schemes. The findings show that if different data collection methods were used to construct the color variable, only half of the respondents would report their color consistently in all of them. The data come from the Brazilian Social Survey conducted by UFF in 2002. The survey is representative of the country as a whole and is the first to allow the study proposed here.
Keywords: uncertainty, race, Brazil
DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52582012000100007
Black or white?: measurement, relevance, and classificatory concordance in a country of racial uncertainty
Português do Brasil
Español