Scope review on whiteness in Brazil

Abstract

This article is a scoping review which aims to investigate Brazilian scientific production on whiteness. To this end, a search was carried out in the Psycinfo, BVS Psi, SciELO and CAPES journals databases, using the term “whiteness” as a keyword. The initial search resulted in the identification of 200 publications, and after applying the filters, the number was reduced to 12 papers. The results indicate that the topic of whiteness is of interest in various areas, although publications are still scarce. Of the theories and concepts adopted in the articles, the following terms can be highlighted: race, racism, miscegenation, whitening and racial democracy. However, in relation to the theoretical gaps, no quantitative studies were found, which points to the need to develop more systematic research that is representative of the national population. The conclusion is that studies on this subject represent an opportunity to broaden the debates on racism, since they place the white subject as a category of analysis, breaking with the logic that white people have no color/race, thus making it possible to discuss their participation in the processes of (re)production of racial inequalities.