Customer Reviews

The Afro-Brazilian Organization Directory: A Reference Guide to Black Organizations in Brazil

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It would be appropriate to preface my remarks by stating that I was somewhat pleasantly surprised, and simultaneously somewhat dismayed, to learn that the Afro-Brazilian Organization Directory was much more than just a directory on black Brazilian organizations. Perhaps it would be best to start with the pleasant nature of my surprise. Shawn Lindsey has created somewhat of a hybrid text that has incorporated chapters (five in all) on black Brazilian history that take the reader on a journey from the initial arrival of Cabral in the 1500's, and the subsequent arrival of African slaves to Brazil in the early 1530's, to the industrialization of the Brazilian economy commencing in the late 1800's onward. In so doing, he argues that much of the contemporary societal disenfranchisement of black Brazilians can be directly attributed to, contrary to conventional wisdom, to racism as opposed to the classic, and perhaps somewhat antiquated, notion that black marginalization is predicated upon class. Perhaps this arguement is not a bombshell in and of itself, but the way Lindsey presents his case, in a definitely straight forward in-your-face sequential format reminiscent of Manning Marable's, "How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America", is. Though his chapters are merely brief overviews on subjects, that in many respects are deserving of a book unto themselves, tantamount to delightful morsals which, like your favorite brand of potato chips, invariably leave you wanting more, they, nonetheless, are quite informative and his fluid writing style makes for enjoyable reading. My "disappointment," if you will, lies in the fact that the directory portion of the book does not contain as many organizations that I think it should. In all fairness, Lindsey does point out in the introduction the problems that he encountered while conducting research on black entities and he should be commended for his efforts. Despite this shortcoming, for which I saw fit to give the book only four stars instead of five, the appendices on the racial euphemisms and Afro-Brazilian magazines were quite insightful. The directory listings were succint, detailed and, in my opinion, provide pragmatic information for the scholar and novice alike. I will have to take Lindsey's word at face value when he states that future editions of the Afro-Brazilian Organization will be more comprehensive in scope. I anxiously await forthcoming editions of the this book and future texts by this author.