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Research • 21 Sep 2017
It must be said that racism exists in Portugal
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Studies indicate that there is racism in Portugal and awareness-raising actions are one of the ways to combat racism. The researcher at CIES-IUL, Cristina Roldão, has developed fieldwork in direct contact with people in universities, schools, neighbourhoods in the outskirts of Lisbon and cultural spaces in the city centre, in order to clarify and raise awareness about the effects of racism and ethnic-racial inequalities in Portuguese society, providing clues to social interpretation and intervention.

 

As the researcher points out, 'the objective is to sensitize people to ethnic-racial inequalities and racism by sharing privileged information:' translating it 'so that different audiences can appropriate information; and responding to questions posed by the public on its own terms'.

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Cristina Roldão is part of a team of researchers who seek to know more about the reality of Afro-descendant youth in the education system in Portugal. Their conclusions point to a 'regular association between poverty and immigrant origin in legislation', and highlight 'the inclusion of educational measures directed at descendants of immigrants in the package of Measures of Support to Immigrants, associating the problems of parents and children'. What brings the young descendants to the status of immigrant and not to that of full citizen - a generation that was either born or started schooling in our country - is explained in the book 'School paths of young Africans who reach higher education'.

Data underline the ethnic-racial inequalities in Portugal in school results, in the performance of basic and top professions, in income earned. These data arise from cross-referencing various sources, including the 2011 Census, DGEEC / MEC studies and data from the Directorate-General for Justice Policy, and publications and specific studies. Ethnic-racial data collection is a controversial subject among academics and politicians and has been discussed in different forums. On the table has been the question that, despite the possible utility of knowing and combating ethnic-racial inequalities, it could, on the other hand, bring legitimacy to discrimination. These are some of the arguments used by the opposing parties.

The investigator will be present to comment on the film '13th' at the International Anti-Racist Cinema Show (MICAR)'.

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