Racism and Melancholia: The Fate of the White Ego Ideal in Black Brazilians

• Grant number: 24/18037-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Psychological Treatment and Prevention
• Principal Investigator: Leonardo Cardoso Portela Câmara
• Grantee: Regiane Oliveira dos Santos
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The notion of a white ideal ego for the Brazilian Black was introduced by Neusa Santos Souza in her work Tornar-se Negro (1983), and it refers to the Black person who is coerced into desiring an ideal ego based on the ideology of whiteness. Although this notion has been minimally explored theoretically, it still shows promise for understanding the psychic dynamics of Black individuals and the context of racial relations in Brazil. This research aims to articulate the notions of racism, ideal ego, and melancholia. The study employs the theoretical research method in psychoanalysis. The general objective is to investigate how the psychic dynamics of melancholia, particularly its narcissistic and identificatory aspects, help us understand the suffering of the Brazilian Black subject. To this end, the configurations of racial relations in Brazil will be investigated from the concept of structural racism, as well as the notions of narcissism and ideal instances within the context of Freudian theory. (AU)