Racialized xenophobia and the uneven distribution of welcome to foreigners in Brazil

Abstract

How does xenophobia manifest itself in societies whose capitalism was structured through colonialism? To what extent can studies on contemporary manifestations of racism help to understand xenophobia in these societies? In this work, we rely on the Fanonian concept of racialization to investigate the genesis and function of migratory policies in republican Brazil. To this end, we return to important histori-cal landmarks that allow the relationship between capitalism, racism and immigra-tion in Brazil to be highlighted. As a result, we suggest that the migratory policies in the country corresponded to national, racial and class interests that imposed a par-ticular dynamic on them, not properly contemplated by some explanatory models, thought from Europe. To account for this particularity, we suggest the concept of racialized xenophobia.