The narcissistic pact of whiteness
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22481/odeere.v11i1.18553Keywords:
Institutional Racism, Narcissistic Pact, WhitenessAbstract
This review analyzes the work O pacto da branquitude (2022), by Cida Bento, highlighting its relevance to critical whiteness studies in Brazil. By shifting the focus of racism from the “racialized other” to whiteness as a historical structure of power, the author exposes the subjective and institutional mechanisms that sustain racial privileges through tacit agreements. The notion of the “narcissistic pact” articulates psychic and structural dimensions of racism, constituting a central contribution of the work. The review also emphasizes the book’s dialogue with scholars in ethnic-racial studies and its educational and institutional implications. As a possible analytical development, it suggests expanding dialogue with Black and feminist epistemologies. The book is thus presented as a significant theoretical-political tool for problematizing white centrality within institutions.
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