Interracial families: psychosocial study of racial hierarchies in family dynamics

• Grant number: 12/24518-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Social Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Belinda Piltcher Haber Mandelbaum
• Grantee: Lia Vainer Schucman
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present proposal for post-doctoral studies represents an important development of my previous research. It regards the possible dialogues between race studies, social psychology and family dynamics in Brazil. It is my goal to investigate how interracial families experience, negotiate, justify, construct and deconstruct the meanings of race and particularly the everyday racism experienced by the non-white members of these families. I intend to understand how stereotypes and race hierarchies appear in the structuring of family dynamics and how these elements mobilize and are mobilized by their emotional experiences. I intend as well to compose a research methodology that accounts for the intervention of psychologists in family contexts in which issues of race and racism are at stake. This study, aimed at researching a topic that is still rarely studied in our country, and at proposing an intervention in the area of assistance regarding the theme will contribute to the discussion of race issues in the Laboratory of Family Studies, Gender Relations and Sexuality (LEFAM ) and in the Institute of Psychology at USP. This work will enable the articulation between different research groups which work with issues related to inequality, families, gender, race and racism in the institution. (AU)