Paper short abstract:

This proposal intends to analyse how the idea of race was structural for the Portuguese colonial system and how anthropology and some of its practitioners participated in this process in the first half of the 20th century. The sources of analysis are documents, including images, and interviews.

Paper long abstract:

The intention of this proposal is to provide an analysis of how the idea of race was structural and structuring for the Portuguese colonial system and how anthropology and some of its practitioners participated in this process. Over several centuries, it is possible to find differences based on skin colour, as in Brazil, but the paradigm of differentiation according to which skin colour is evoked in discourse, knowledge (scientific/ non-scientific), legislation and propaganda emerges most evidently in the first half of the 20th century. This logic was applied to the overseas populations of the so-called Portuguese colonial empire, with territories in Asia and Africa. Colour, based on different chromatic scales, created in various international contexts, was considered an objective criterion of identification, but it often referred to the supposedly scientific criterion of race. In addition to intending to identify and differentiate individuals, the idea of race also intended to rank them on a scale of civilization, in terms of physical aptitudes and moral qualities. For that reason, “race” was considered a useful criterion for organizing, exploiting and governing colonies. This presentation will also explore the possibilities to include hues when the criterion of colour was not easily identifiable or was subjective. The sources of analysis are documents, including images, and interviews. Finally, implications for contemporaneous topics such as the need to review how colonial history has been told in books and museums along with the urgency of promoting anti-racist education, reducing discrimination and promoting more inclusive societies, will be discussed.