Meredith Main Sá | Santa Fe College (original) (raw)
As an applied cultural anthropologist, I investigate how race and class shape struggles over urban development in Brazil. I am particularly interested in grassroots movements framed around environmental justice and anti-black state violence in working class black communities in the state of Bahia.
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Papers by Meredith Main Sá
Situating the Obama Effect in Ecuador, 2015
In this article, I explore key themes that arose during interviews with Black Ecuadorian activis... more In this article, I explore key themes that arose during interviews with Black Ecuadorian activists and state workers in the months following President Barack Obama’s inauguration. While many Black Ecuadorians celebrated President Obama as a symbol of Black achievement, this article considers the contested meanings of Obama’s election in the context of US imperialism and the recent inclusion of Black activists in official Ecuadorian politics. Several Black activists have been appointed to prominent political positions since current leftist president Rafael Correa took office in 2007. From their positions, activists have secured affirmative action policies and anti-discrimination legislation. However, they question whether their positions have created an “Obama effect” whereby Black leaders serve as tokens of post-racialism that curtail Black social movement activism.
Situating the Obama Effect in Ecuador, 2015
In this article, I explore key themes that arose during interviews with Black Ecuadorian activis... more In this article, I explore key themes that arose during interviews with Black Ecuadorian activists and state workers in the months following President Barack Obama’s inauguration. While many Black Ecuadorians celebrated President Obama as a symbol of Black achievement, this article considers the contested meanings of Obama’s election in the context of US imperialism and the recent inclusion of Black activists in official Ecuadorian politics. Several Black activists have been appointed to prominent political positions since current leftist president Rafael Correa took office in 2007. From their positions, activists have secured affirmative action policies and anti-discrimination legislation. However, they question whether their positions have created an “Obama effect” whereby Black leaders serve as tokens of post-racialism that curtail Black social movement activism.