University racial quotas have caused strong reactions in Brazil, where ideals of racial and cultural mixture are crucial components of national identity. Focusing on an in-depth ethnographic study of a Rio de Janeiro public university and its students, Andre Cicalo examines the practical and symbolic potential that affirmative action has to redress historically-produced and territorialized inequalities in the urban space. By engaging with the relevant literature on Brazilian race relations, this volume discloses novel considerations, crucial for a possible future reading of race relations, racial classification, and affirmative action in Brazil.

Winner of the Latin American Studies Association Brazil Section Book Awards. Utilizing an ethnographic study of a public university and its users, Cicalo analyzes the practical and symbolic potential that affirmative action has to redress historically-produced and territorialized inequalities in the urban space.