"Brightness is just who you are": a relação entre o racismo e o processo de construção da identidade negra na obra infantil Sulwe (20190

Abstract

Black identity as a social construction is directly linked to racism. In this construction process, the history of the black population, from a positive, non-white perspective, is the starting point. Although identity or identities are a metamorphosis, it is essential to start the process of valuing subjectivities as a black person from childhood. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the relation between racism and the process of constructing black identity in Sulwe (2019) - a children's literary work written by Mexican-Kenyan Lupita Nyong'o. In the book, the protagonist Sulwe, from East Africa, has skin as dark as “midnight” and experiences episodes of racism in her childhood that make her want to be whitened. Based on this brief description, this research aims to answer the following question: what is the relation between the racism suffered by the protagonist Sulwe and the process of constructing a black identity in the children's book Sulwe (2019)? In order to answer this question, the following general objective was defined: to investigate the relation between the racism suffered by the protagonist Sulwe and the process of constructing black identity in the children's book Sulwe (2019). In order to achieve this general objective, the following specific objectives were set: (i) to discuss the theoretical assumptions of Black Studies, with an emphasis on the concepts of racism and black identity; (ii) to point out the types of racism suffered by the character Sulwe and its consequences; and (iii) to analyze how the experiences of racism and its consequences became for the beginning of the process of constructing of Sulwe’s identity as a black child. In terms of methodology, the research will take a qualitative, bibliographical, exploratory and interpretative approach, based on Tyson (2006), Karenga (2010), Hall (2006), Munanga (2012), Grada Kilomba (2021), Almeida (2019), among others. In short, by analyzing the selected excerpts and figures, we can identify that the protagonist Sulwe experiences four types of racism, which result in a conflict of acceptance and make her seek whitening in an attempt to no longer be rejected. Through the history of her people, Sulwe was able to identify herself, recognizing the differences, and finally understanding and accepting her skin color.