New configurations and debates on affirmative actions in a changing context

an introduction

Abstract

Following 20 years of implementation in some public universities and ten years after it became mandatory in federal universities and institutes under the so-called quota law (Law 12,711 of 2012), university affirmative action still arouses controversy, as shown by debates around evaluation and possible extension of the 2012 law, with several bills presenting opposing views under consideration of legislature. Likewise, the debate on how to fight racial inequalities in different sectors of Brazilian society reassesses the issue in the field of public policies in the country. Thus, to understand the effects of these two decades of affirmative action in Brazil, it is essential to attain a broader view of these policies, in order to raise the terms of discussions on the subject beyond their direct implications. The present dossier intends to contribute precisely to this direction. As we seek to raise visibility of social transformations caused either directly or indirectly by the introduction of affirmative action, we hope not only to contribute to evaluating its consequences, but also to shed light on how it affects the understanding of the “racial issue” in our society. Which means broadening the reflection on the effects and impasses of affirmative action, both within universities and outside them, by compiling texts on different aspects of changes produced in educational life in its broadest sense (with special emphasis on universities) and in the sociopolitical context in the country.