BLACK COLLECTIVES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: SOME NOTES ON CONTEMPORARY BLACK UNIVERSITY ACTIVISM

The implementation of affirmative action policies has brought about major transformations in higher education institutions, especially in public universities in the last two decades. Black collectives, formed mostly by students who are beneficiaries of these policies, have emerged on the university scene with the purpose of making the trajectories of black students more fruitful and less hostile. Articulating social markers such as race, gender, class, and generation, black collectives mobilize in the academic environment in the struggle for a more inclusive and racially democratic university. This article aims to present a contribution to the understanding of contemporary black university activism produced by black collectives present in Brazilian public universities. We conclude this article with the understanding that the Black Collectives have become central actors in the university socio-political dynamics, since from different forms of activism they fight for more recognition, visibility and participation of Black students in the university institutional dynamics.