Manifestações culturais africanas através de tecnologias econômicas no brasil: valores civilizatórios em contexto de mobilidade humana

Abstract

This article, in the field of International Relations linked to studies of Africa and its diasporas, Human Mobility and Economy, brings forward recovering civilizing values and economical technologies from the experiences of black migrant people in Brazil. For the purpose of answering the query: “in what form do cultures of African matrices manifest themselves in business headed by black migrant people in Brazil?”, we developed three hypothesis: (1) racism occurs both in the interpersonal level as in the institutional one, exotizing and reducing African traditions to folklore; (2) taking into account that the western European economic model is not universal, business activities headed by migrants are guided by African civilizing values; (3) among other technologies, the monetary association at times called Tontine prevails in the migrant experience of key-interviewed people. The fruitful productions of black intellectuals inside and outside academia was analyzed by means of bibliographic research and documentary analysis, while the data collection process was partially done with interviews. We set off from an African/black decolonial approach seeking to understand migrations and labor in Brazil. Next, we call into question the universality of formal contemporary economical institutions while putting forward the concept of Ubuntu. Finally, we observe the perceptions of migrants in regards to the circumstances in which these technologies reify. The conclusion leads us to attest their resilience in spite of colonialism and its reinventions. In addition, it allows us to state they are embedded in another economical model, rather than simply a business one.