Affirmative action in Brazil: global lessons on racial justice and the fight to reduce social inequality.

This article examines Brazil's implementation of affirmative action (AA) in higher education as a case study for addressing racial and social inequalities. Since the early 2000s, Brazil has seen a significant decrease in racial inequality in education, largely due to AA policies that increased college enrollment among disadvantaged racial groups—primarily those identifying as preto (Black), pardo (brown), and indigenous—while maintaining comparable academic outcomes between AA beneficiaries and other students. The 2012 Law of Quotas formalized a hybrid system combining race- and class-based criteria, reserving seats in federal universities for students from public schools, low-income families, and underrepresented racial groups. Research indicates mixed effects of AA on pre-college academic effort, generally positive impacts on college access and academic performance, and some labor market gains for beneficiaries, though disparities persist. The policy also influenced racial self-identification patterns, reflecting Brazil’s complex racial classification systems and history. The article highlights Brazil’s experience as instructive for other countries, emphasizing the roles of political mobilization, scholarship, and evolving social attitudes in the emergence and acceptance of AA.