Miscigenânsia: subjectivity, race, and the mixed-race experience in brazilian social thought

Abstract

This article discusses miscigenânsia as an analytical category for understanding the social and subjective experiences of mixed-race subjects in Brazil. The concept, proposed by Maria Cilene Lucas Vieira, emerges from the articulation of lived experience, memory, and theoretical reflection, in dialogue with the notion of escrevivência developed by Conceição Evaristo. The analysis begins with the debate on racial mixing in Brazilian social thought, particularly in the interpretations of Gilberto Freyre, whose reading of national formation emphasized racial mixture as a constitutive element of Brazilian identity. In contrast, the article mobilizes the contributions of Florestan Fernandes and Kabengele Munanga, who highlight the persistence of racial hierarchies in Brazilian society. The dialogue with Frantz Fanon and with the notion of ethical-political suffering formulated by Bader Sawaia helps to understand the subjective effects of racialization. The reflection also approaches the critical perspective of Paulo Freire, by understanding the naming of these experiences as part of a process of conscientization and critical reading of racial relations in Brazilian society. It is argued that miscigenânsia contributes to highlighting identity tensions and expanding the debate on race, belonging, and social recognition in contemporary Brazil.