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Dispositif of Raciality

The Construction of the Other as Non-Being
Series: Critical South
Brief Description
This book by the leading political thinker and philosopher Sueli Carneiro examines how race operates in Brazilian society and why myths of racial democracy have so much staying power in the country despite the many ideological and cultural shifts. To understand this, Carneiro develops Foucault's concepts... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$4499
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

This book by the leading political thinker and philosopher Sueli Carneiro examines how race operates in Brazilian society and why myths of racial democracy have so much staying power in the country despite the many ideological and cultural shifts.

To understand this, Carneiro develops Foucault's concepts of biopower and dispositif and links them with Charles W. Mills's writings on the racial contract, creating the dispositif of raciality. Carneiro argues that this concept operates through, on the one hand, "epistemicide," the process whereby Black people are invalidated as knowing subjects, and, on the other, a complicity among white people in relation to the social subordination and elimination of Black people.

As with all dispositifs, however, the dispositif of raciality possesses its own resistance, and Carneiro also addresses Black resistance, understood through the voices and testimonies of insurgents against subordination and epistemicide. Their words reveal that it is from the strength of self-esteem, the recognition of their own autonomy, and the triumph of memory and collective action that the sap of resistance is extracted. It is only through collective struggle, where the care of self and of others becomes emancipatory, that the dispositif of raciality can be confronted.

Hailed as one of the most important works of political philosophy written in Brazil, this book sheds new light on the mechanisms through which racial regimes reproduce themselves and how these patterns might be broken. It will be of great value to students and scholars of Brazil, Latin America, and Black studies, and it will appeal to anyone interested in questions of race, racism, and the legacies of colonialism.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781509564590

Publisher: Polity Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 September 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polity Press

Contributors:

  • Translated by Lanie Millar

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 0g

Pages: 372

About the Author

Sueli Carneiro is founder and director of the Geledรฉs โ€” Instituto da Mulher Negra, Brazil.

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