“Becoming Black” for African Students in Brazil: racialization, racism, and identity construction

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36517/ep.vi.96447.2025

Keywords:

Becoming Black, Psychological distress, African students, Unilab

Abstract

The central issue of this investigation is the process of “becoming Black” in Brazil, according to Neusa Santos Souza (2021), focusing on the social construction of racial identity and its implications among African students at the Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira (Unilab), in Ceará. These students, from Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP), experience processes of racialization and the psychosocial effects of racism on their mental health. Migration is understood as a factor of psychological vulnerability, aggravated by colonial ideologies and structural racism. The research, using a qualitative approach, employed semi-structured interviews and a biographical focus with twenty students from different courses. For many, arriving in Brazil marks the beginning of a racialized experience absent in their home countries, where Blackness is the norm. In Brazil, skin color becomes a marker of exclusion, generating psychological distress and the need for identity redefinition.

Author Biographies

  • Jarciela Pitiandra Lima Correia Sá, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

    Graduated in Nursing from the University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony (UNILAB), with an emphasis on the health of the Black and migrant population. Her undergraduate thesis was titled "Physical and mental illness of students of African nationalities at UNILAB: perception of health and illness status." During her undergraduate studies (2018-2020), she worked as a scholarship recipient of the Institutional Development Program (PBIDIN), with activities in the UNILAB university libraries. She holds a Master's degree from the Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Program in Humanities (POSIH/MIH) at the same institution. Her Master's research addresses the topic: "Racism and psychological suffering of African students at UNILAB, State of Ceará." She was a scholarship recipient from the Ceará Foundation for Support of Scientific and Technological Development (FUNCAP).

  • Cláudia de Oliveira Alves, University of Brasília

    Psychologist. PhD and Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and Culture from the Postgraduate Program in Clinical Psychology and Culture (PPGPsiCC) at the University of Brasília (2021/2013). Specialist in Family and Couples Therapy from the Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás/IEP (2016). Graduated in Psychology from Paulista University (2010). Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Psychology of the University of Brasília and advisor in the Postgraduate Program in Clinical Psychology and Culture at the University of Brasília (UnB). Coordinator of the Center for Studies and Research in Ethnic-Racial Relations, Intersectionality and Mental Health (NEPRINS). Member of the National Network of Black Psychologists and Researchers (ANPSINEP). Associate of the Brazilian Association for Research in Prevention and Health Promotion (BRAPEP) and member of the steering group for the 2023-2024 biennium. Has experience in the field of psychology, with an emphasis on clinical psychology and community psychology, working mainly on the following themes: Ethnic-Racial Relations; Intersectionality; Mental Health; Health Promotion.

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Published

2026-03-29

Issue

2025: Africa and Africanities in Ceará

Section

Dossiê Temático

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Jarciela Pitiandra Lima Correia Sá, Cláudia de Oliveira Alves

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

“Becoming Black” for African Students in Brazil: racialization, racism, and identity construction. (2026). Em Perspectiva, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.36517/ep.vi.96447.2025