DERACIALIZING THE SOCIAL CONTRACT

Afro-Diasporic cosmologies and Black resistance in Brazil

Abstract

This article critiques the Brazilian social contract from the perspective of Afro-diasporic cosmologies, bringing together contractarian political theory and Afro-intellectual epistemologies. Anchored in Charles Mills’s critique of the “racial contract” — a pact that structures the modern state as a device of white domination — I argue that the mere symbolic inclusion of marginalized groups is insufficient given the exclusionary logic that organizes the Brazilian state. As an alternative, I introduce the concept of “deracializing the social contract”, understood as the transformation of state structures by strengthening the cosmological and epistemic legacies of African diasporic peoples. This process goes beyond simply placing Black individuals in positions of power; it demands the appreciation and incorporation of Afro-Brazilian forms of organization that operate outside Western models, such as candomblé terreiros, capoeira circles, and samba gatherings. The article’s theoretical contribution lies in expanding Mills’s work by proposing a critique of the racial state and concrete pathways to overcome it. In this context, it highlights the sacred circles of the Black Brazilian universe — a concept developed by Xavier (2022) — as social technologies of resistance, belonging, and community reorganization. The article proposes a theoretical and methodological agenda to rethink the Brazilian state from democratic, plural, and anti-racist principles rooted in the historical and political experience of the Black population.