Abstract
This article analyzes the interrelation between the production of images of the Portuguese nation as “multiracial” – a homogenous nation through miscegenation – and the denial of racism by the Portuguese State: the repetition of the image of Portugal as a non-racist country, but rather tolerant. This analysis will focus on the discourses of official representatives of the Portuguese State, particularly in the parliamentary sphere, and on reports submitted as accountability for the state of (anti-)racism in various institutional contexts and following the signing of international treaties, since the 1980s. I consider these narratives as an archive of the institutionalization of the denial of racism in Portugal, in complicity with the academic work. This State of denial will reveal hegemonic notions about race and racism, as well as the legitimation of interpretations on the situation of racialized populations, especially in relation to their socio-economic situation. Racism is silenced in favor of certain narratives about poverty, resulting in an alleged universalist approach to public policy. Nonetheless, these narratives have been challenged by anti-racist movements, which demand a different kind of political action and articulate counter-narratives that not only challenge the State, but also some sectors of the progressive left. These counter-arguments suggest ways to rethink the present future of anti-racism and, in particular, for the analysis and public debate on white power.
Keywords:
Anti-racism; State; Denial of racism; Poverty; Portugal