AFRC175 - SOCIETY & CULT IN BRAZIL

With its booming economy, the recent inauguration of its first female president, and its selection as host to the 2012 World Cup and Olympic games, Brazil is growing in global prestige. But amid all these exciting developments are devastating socioeconomic inequalities. Access to safe living conditions, livable wages, higher education, and overall social mobility remain painfully out of reach to many Brazilians, the majority of whom are the descendants of slaves. Why do these problems persist in a country that has had such an enduring and widespread reputation as a "racial democracy"? What are the possibilities of closing the equality gap in Brazil?