The increased inclusion of race in Brazilian public debate, the increase of its usage in opinion polls and monitoring and the ease with which it has been included in statistical models has created a paradox regarding its importance. While skin color has been gaining salience in public debate, it has also lost substantive importance as a complex and dynamic social construct through the superficial way in which it is being employed - as a permanent and immutable category - in quantitative studies. This bibliographic essay discusses the factors that have contributed to such a tendency, looking at national and international literature produced over the last 10 years. We question the use of race in public policies, inquiring into its trustworthiness, variability and validity, and consider the limitations and possibilities of using race as a marker of difference. The essay concludes by suggesting a research agenda meant to increase understanding and reduce the uncertainties associated with the usage of "race" as a variable in quantitative studies.
race; skin color; Brazil; validity; trustworthiness; confidence level; stability; taxonomy; public policies