Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Racial Representation and Brazilian Politics: Black Members of the National Congress, 1983-1999

1998; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 40; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/166456

2162-2736

Ollie A. Johnson,

Caribbean history, culture, and politics

There is a stereotype of who can be intelligent and competent, who can have power. In Brazil it is rich, white men who represent the face of power. —Benedita da Silva, Afro-Brazilian Senator In examining politics, legislatures, and elected officials, scholars often make a distinction between descriptive and substantive representation. In the former, representatives share the social or demographic characteristics of the represented (Pitkin 1967, 60–91; Mansbridge 1996). In the latter, representatives pursue policies favorable to the interests of the represented (Swain 1993, 5; Lublin 1997, 12). From the perspective of these scholars, substantive representation may be achieved without descriptive representation. At the same time, these two types of representation are not mutually exclusive.