"Ter pele escura é ser Ismália": o racismo estrutural e seus reflexos no apagamento histórico de negros e indígenas em Canguaretama no Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

This study aimed to understand the nuances of structural racism and how it contributes to the historical erasure of black and indigenous peoples. It also sought to analyze how the stigmas imposed on these populations reflect the socio-historical formation of Brazil, which is rooted in the exploitation/domination of class, race, and sex/gender. To achieve these objectives, we conducted a qualitative study involving bibliographic and documentary research, as well as individual interviews using a semi-structured script with Indigenous people from the Katu community and descendants of black people who worked on sugarcane plantations in the city of Canguaretama, Rio Grande do Norte. The study not only revealed the appalling working conditions to which the sugarcane plantation workers were subjected but also highlighted the systematic erasure of Indigenous history and how a whitewashed view of these issues continues to be perpetuated, often distorting the contributions and resistance of these peoples. Finally, the study emphasizes that structural racism in Brazil manifests itself in numerous ways that go beyond a socioeconomic issue, silencing the voices of minority populations and perpetuating inequality in society.