While Brazil is famous for its history of racial diversity and was once revered as a “racial democracy,” its political arena is a site of separation. Elected officials in the country, which has the largest African descendant population of any country outside of Africa, are overwhelmingly white. Why are Afro-Brazilians not elected in proportion to their population size? And how does their underrepresentation affect the policymaking process?

In Race, Elections, and Power in Modern Brazil, Andrew Janusz argues that race shapes who runs for public office, who is elected, and who they represent. Drawing on surveys, interviews, and administrative election datasets, he shows that white politicians have several electoral advantages over their Afro-Brazilian competitors. Due to social stereotypes and racism, white Brazilians are more likely than Afro-Brazilians to be recruited by party elites, raise campaign funds, and be favored by voters. Using original data on legislator behavior, Janusz also finds that Brazil’s predominately white lawmakers are largely unresponsive to the needs of marginalized Afro-Brazilians and less likely than their Afro-Brazilian counterparts to advance legislation that would meaningfully enhance their quality of life. Providing compelling empirical evidence that Brazil is a racialized democracy, this book offers an accessible and eye-opening look at the central role race plays in Brazilian politics.

Andrew Janusz is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida.