This essay was written during the intense debate in Brazil around the introduction of affirmative action in the public universities according to a project proposed by the Ministry of Education. Inspired in the work of Gloria Anzaldúa, this article contributes to the debate by discussing the notion of miscegenation. The essay analyzes some texts that argue in favor of the Ministry's project, as well texts that present a dissenting view. Taking as its point of departure Anzaldúa's concept of consciencia mestiza, the essay contends that to introduce a project of affirmative action in the public university system in Brazil requires a radical restructuring of the university, since the crises that confronts this institution emanates from its exclusionary practices.
miscegenation; equality; affirmative action; consciencia mestiza