The Color of Asylum: The Racial Politics of Safe Haven in Brazil

An ethnography of the difficult experiences of refugees in Brazil.

In 2013, as Syrians desperate to escape a brutal war fled the country, Brazil took the remarkable step of instituting an open-door policy for all Syrian refugees. Why did Brazil--in contrast to much of the international community--offer asylum to any Syrian who would come? And how do Syrians differ from other refugee populations seeking status in Brazil?

In The Color of Asylum, Katherine Jensen offers an ethnographic look at the process of asylum seeking in Brazil, uncovering the different ways asylum seekers are treated and the racial logic behind their treatment. She focuses on two of the largest and most successful groups of asylum seekers: Syrian and Congolese refugees. While the groups obtain asylum status in Brazil at roughly equivalent rates, their journey to that status could not be more different, with Congolese refugees enduring significantly greater difficulties at each stage, from arrival through to their treatment by Brazilian officials. As Jensen shows, Syrians, meanwhile, receive better treatment because the Brazilian state recognizes them as white, in a nation that has historically privileged white immigration. Ultimately, however, Jensen reaches an unexpected conclusion: Regardless of their country of origin, even migrants who do secure asylum status find their lives remain extremely difficult, marked by struggle and discrimination.

Author: Katherine Jensen
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 09/05/2023
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.87lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.60d
ISBN13: 9780226828442
ISBN10: 0226828441
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Refugees
- Social Science | Race & Ethnic Relations
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies | Caribbean & Latin American Studies

About the Author
Katherine Jensen is assistant professor of sociology and international studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.