Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: House, home, to be at-home-in-the-world and the need for a mobile home that accompanies us through our everyday life, are concepts upon which this thesis is built. I am of opinion that the constant mobility of globalization and each individual’s journey of finding a place to belong to, dictates a complementary conceptualization of a home. My study focuses on the possibilities that books present, physically and psychologically, as a possible complementary term to a house and a home. The theoretical structure of this thesis is based on Doreen Massey and Martin Heidegger’s view on modes of habitation. They outline a framework in which this phenomenological text of an everyday phenomenon, namely: to-be-at-home-in-the-world, is discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Huis, tuiste, tuis-wees-in-die-wêreld en die behoefte na ’n mobiele tuiste wat saam swerf deur ons alledaagse leefwêreld, is onderwerpe waarmee hierdie tesis bemoei is. Ek is van mening dat hedendaagse mobiliteit gevind in globalisasie en soektog na ’n eie plek, vra na 'n komplementêre konseptualisering van tuiste. My studie fokus op boeke en hul fisiese en psigiese eienskappe om as moontlike komplementêre tuiste tot huis en tuiste aangewend te word. Doreen Massey en Martin Heidegger se teorieë rondom wyses van bewoning op aarde dien as spilpunt wat deur aanvullende teoretici gekoppel word aan 'n fenomenologiese teks wat die alledaagse ervaring van tuis-wees-in-die-wêreld op die voorgrond plaas.

<p>This study deals with theories of community, justice, and freedom within liberalism, communitarianism, African philosophy and theology. The study maintains that there are different latitudes on how to formulate and articulate theories of community, justice and freedom informed by particualr moral experiences with bearing on different views of human. People differ and their claims on moral matters are influenced by contexts in which they find themselves, which means that cultural diversity has bearing on different interpretations of what it means to be a human being. Given the importance of this diversity, of particular significance in this study is the relationship between various theories of justice and freedom and different understandings of the relationship between the individual and the community. The study endorses that any contemporary discourse on community, justice, and freedom to be adequate should take notice on the political, economic, and cultural aspirations of the people it seeks to address itself. It argues that there might be alternative theories of community, justice, and freedom which may give a fuller appreciation to the fact that there are different understandings of what community implies as well as what justice and freedom means. One such alternative is the African view of human, that of "ubuntu", which maintains that "to be" is "to belong". In this view a person is because of others, and by inference one's humanity, including one's sense of personhood, is affirmed by affirming the humanity and personhood of others. The first aim of the study is to examine how we should understand different theories of justice and freedom within Western political philosophy, and African political theory and theology. The second aim is to analyse how different theories of justice and freedom are related to different conceptions of the relationship between the individual and the community. The third and final aim is to propose an adequate theory of community, justice, and freedom from an African perspective.</p>

This study deals with theories of community, justice, and freedom within liberalism, communitarianism, African philosophy and theology. The study maintains that there are different latitudes on how to formulate and articulate theories of community, justice and freedom informed by particualr moral experiences with bearing on different views of human. People differ and their claims on moral matters are influenced by contexts in which they find themselves, which means that cultural diversity has bearing on different interpretations of what it means to be a human being. Given the importance of this diversity, of particular significance in this study is the relationship between various theories of justice and freedom and different understandings of the relationship between the individual and the community. The study endorses that any contemporary discourse on community, justice, and freedom to be adequate should take notice on the political, economic, and cultural aspirations of the people it seeks to address itself. It argues that there might be alternative theories of community, justice, and freedom which may give a fuller appreciation to the fact that there are different understandings of what community implies as well as what justice and freedom means. One such alternative is the African view of human, that of "ubuntu", which maintains that "to be" is "to belong". In this view a person is because of others, and by inference one's humanity, including one's sense of personhood, is affirmed by affirming the humanity and personhood of others. The first aim of the study is to examine how we should understand different theories of justice and freedom within Western political philosophy, and African political theory and theology. The second aim is to analyse how different theories of justice and freedom are related to different conceptions of the relationship between the individual and the community. The third and final aim is to propose an adequate theory of community, justice, and freedom from an African perspective.

This dissertation analyzes narratives of queer partner migration, that is, a family-tie migration in which one of the partners of a relationship has migrated in order for the partners to be together, and where the partners queer the migration in the sense that they have a non-normative sexuality and/or gender identity. The purpose of the study is to examine how queer partner migrants and their Swedish partners experience the migration process – which continues also once the administrative process has been completed – by analyzing the emotions and feelings that emerge in the process. The study is a contribution to research on privileged migration as well as intimate migration. The focus is the queer partner migration relationship, and what emotions and feelings ‘do’ to this relationship, but also how emotions and feelings structure the migration process. The study analyzes the work three different emotions – love, loss, and belonging – do in these migration processes, and how this work is described in the participant narratives. Migrant participants have migrated from different parts of the world (Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America), making it possible to analyze what emotions and feelings do in this particular migration process from the point of view of nationality and, in particular, proximity to ‘Western-ness,’ race, and language as well as how privileges connected to these positions come to matter in the process. The dissertation is an ethnographic interview study in which both migrants and Swedish partners have been interviewed. The interview material consists of a combination of couple interviews and individual interviews. By using affect theories and the concept of queer phenomenology, the dissertation shows how the work that emotions and feelings do in migration processes is connected to gender identity, sexual identity, race and whiteness, nationality, perceived proximity to Western-ness, class, language, and the migration narrative the migrating partner is (or is not) written into by way of the country they have migrated from. This is analyzed in relation to the theoretical frameworks of entanglement, homonationalism, and intimate citizenship. The analysis shows that emotions and feelings structure the migration process for both more privileged and less privileged migrants, but in different ways. The understanding of who ‘is’ a migrant, and the preparedness for the feelings that arise in a migration process, are tied to the positions mentioned above and the privileges these positions give, or do not give, the migrant access to. By focusing on emotions and feelings and what these do, the study also illustrates how the migration process affects the non-migrating partner as this partner engages in emotional labour to ‘make’ the migrating partner ‘Swedish.’ Through their the migrating partner, the non-migrating partner is also aligned in a way that makes them a little bit less ‘Swedish,’ contributing to the non-migrating partner being ‘stopped’ in ways they have usually not experienced before. The study further shows how migration processes produces inequality, and the difficulties that arise when the couples try to live up to the Swedish ideal of the equal relationship. The interviews are analyzed as narratives, and both narratives and storytelling are important throughout the dissertation, not only as the method used in the analysis but as the form of the dissertation, making it a kind of super structure organizing the writing. Writing (how to write accessibly and interesting) and reading (how to write in order to invite an open and active reading) are important aspects of the dissertation. / Avhandlingen analyserar narrativ om queer partnermigration, dvs en familjebandsmigration i vilken en av de två personerna i ett parförhållande migrerar för att de två ska kunna leva i samma land och i vilken de två individerna queerar migrationen på så sätt att de har en icke-normativ sexualitet och/eller könsidentitet. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur queera partnermigranter och deras svenska partners upplever migrationsprocessen – vilken pågår även efter att den administrativa processen är avslutad – genom att analysera de känslor som uppstår i processen. Studien är ett bidrag till forskning om så väl privilegierad migration som intim migration. I fokus står det queera partnermigrationsförhållandet och vad känslor ”gör” med detta förhållande, men också hur känslor strukturerar migrationsprocessen på olika sätt. Studien analyserar det arbete tre olika känslor – kärlek, förlust och tillhörighet – gör i migrationsprocessen och hur detta arbete beskrivs i deltagarnas narrativ. Migrantdeltagarna i studien kommer från olika delar av världen (Afrika, Europa, Latinamerika och Nordamerika), vilket gör det möjligt att analysera vad känslor gör i den här specifika migrationsprocessen utifrån nationalitet, och specifikt närhet till västerländskhet, ras och språkbakgrund samt hur privilegier kopplade till dessa positioner spelar in i processen. Avhandlingen är en etnografisk intervjustudie där både migranter och svenska partners har intervjuats. Intervjumaterialet består av en blandning av parintervjuer och enskilda intervjuer. Genom att använda affektteorier och queer fenomenologi visar avhandlingen hur det arbete känslor utför i migrationsprocesser är kopplat till könsidentitet, sexuell identitet, ras och vithet, nationalitet, upplevd närhet till västerländskhet, klass, språk och det migrationsnarrativ den migrerande partnern är inskriven i (eller inte) genom det land den migrerat från. Detta analyseras i relation till de teoretiska ramverken trassel (entanglement), homonationalism och intimt medborgarskap. I analysen framkommer att känslor strukturerar migrationsprocessen för både mer privilegierade och mindre privilegierade migranter men på olika sätt. Förståelsen av vem som ”är” en migrant och beredskapen för de känslor som uppstår i migrationsprocessen är till stor del kopplade till de positioner som nämns ovan samt de privilegier migranten har tillgång till genom dessa. Genom att fokusera på känslor och vad dessa gör visar studien också att migrationsprocessen påverkar den icke-migrerande partnern genom att denna förutsätts utföra känsloarbete för att ”göra” den migrerande partnern ”svensk.” Samtidigt blir den icke-migrerande partnern själv, genom sin migrerande partner, riktad på ett sätt som gör den lite mindre ”svensk”, vilket bidrar till att också den icke-migrerande partnerns liv ”stoppas” på sätt den vanligtvis inte tidigare upplevt. Studien visar vidare på hur migrationsprocesser producerar ojämlikhet och de svårigheter som då uppstår när paren försöker leva upp till det jämlika svenska idealförhållandet. Intervjuerna är analyserade som narrativ och både narrativ och berättande är genomgående viktiga i avhandlingen, inte bara som metod utan också som avhandlingens form och en slags struktur som organiserar texten. Skrivande (att skriva tillgängligt och intressant) och läsande (att skriva på ett sätt som inbjuder till öppet och aktivt läsande) är viktiga aspekter i avhandlingen.

La présente étude avait pour but de déterminer si un programme de prévention de la violence par l’entraînement aux habiletés en résolution de conflits et en médiation pouvait avoir une incidence sur la motivation scolaire et le sentiment d’appartenance à l’école. De par ses trois missions fondamentales (instruire, qualifier et socialiser), l’école québécoise est pour l’élève à la fois un milieu de vie et un milieu d’apprentissage. Toutefois, des problèmes de comportement et de motivation à apprendre peuvent freiner la réussite de certains jeunes. Pour remédier à la situation, des programmes visant à améliorer le comportement des élèves et à prévenir la violence à l’école ont été mis sur pied et évalués, indiquant une amélioration de certains comportements. Quelques études ont aussi noté une corrélation entre ces programmes et la motivation à apprendre. Sachant que l’adoption de buts de maîtrise et le sentiment d’appartenance à l’école sont des variables qui agissent positivement sur la motivation à apprendre, il est pertinent de se demander si un tel programme peut avoir une incidence sur ces variables. Des analyses secondaires de données issues du Rapport final d’évaluation des impacts du programme Vers le pacifique pour les quatre années de sa mise en œuvre (Bowen, 2006) ont été effectuées afin de vérifier si le programme Vers le Pacifique avait un impact sur les buts de maîtrise et le sentiment d’appartenance et déterminer quels comportements appris grâce au programme agissaient sur ces deux mêmes variables. De plus, le sexe des participants, ainsi que le niveau d’implantation du programme dans les écoles, ont été considérés dans les analyses. Les résultats aux analyses de variance ont révélé que le programme Vers le pacifique n’avait pas d’incidence sur les buts de maîtrise et le sentiment d’appartenance. Peu importe le groupe et le sexe, les buts de maîtrise et le sentiment d’appartenance ont diminué au deuxième temps de mesure. Toutefois, un des comportements appris grâce à Vers le pacifique, la gestion des émotions, agit positivement sur l’adoption de buts de maîtrise. À la lumière de ces résultats, qui cadrent avec certaines théories présentes dans la littérature, il est recommandé aux praticiens d’intégrer de manière plus explicite un volet motivationnel au programme Vers le pacifique, dans le but de contrer la diminution des buts de maîtrise et du sentiment d’appartenance et ainsi favoriser le développement de la motivation à apprendre et la réussite scolaire. / The object of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a conflict resolution and mediation training program on student’s motivation and sense of belonging to school. By its three fundamental missions (instruct, qualify and socialize), Quebec’school system serves as a living and a learning environement for its students. However, behaviour and/or school motivation problems can have a negative impact on some students’ achievement. Taking in consideration those problematic issues, schools have implemented programs in order to prevent violence and improve student’s behaviour. Different evaluations of these programs indicated an improvement of certain behaviours and a correlation with some aspects of school motivation. Considering that mastery-oriented goals and the sense of belonging to school are factors that contribute to school motivation, it is relevant to ask if such a program may have an impact on these variables. A secondary analysis of data from Rapport final d’évaluation des impacts du programme Vers le pacifique pour les quatre années de sa mise en œuvre (Bowen, 2006) was conducted in order to verify if the program Vers le pacifique had an impact on mastery-oriented goals and the sense of belonging to school, and to determine which specific students’ behaviours developped through this program had an impact on these two factors. Furthermore, sex and level of implementation of the program in the school were taken in consideration for these analysis. Multivariate and univariate analysis results reveal that Vers le pacifique program does not have a significant impact on mastery-oriented goals and sense of belonging. Both variables decreased over time, whatever the sex or level of implementation of the program. Yet, one of the behaviours developped through the program, emotion management, has a positive impact on students’ mastery-oriented goals. These results, consistent with some theories from the literature, lead to recommendations such as implementing a complementary motivationnal component to Vers le pacifique. Thereby, it might be possible to counteract the decrease over time of mastery-oriented goals and sense of belonging to school, while promoting school motivation and success.

The subjects of ‘youth’, ‘substance use’ and ‘homelessness’ are interconnected, but only a relatively small number of studies have examined the relationships between all three components. Literature highlights how homeless substance users are constructed as ‘vulnerable’ – yet ‘deviant’. Furthermore, academics have examined how people manage the ascribed identities of ‘substance user’ and ‘homeless’ as well as that of ‘youth’. According to sociologists, people’s self-identities and actions develop as a consequence of interactions with their socio-spatial worlds. Therefore, it is useful to contextualise the act of substance use within these complex interactions. This thesis explores the meanings and contexts of young, homeless people’s substance use. Data were obtained through an ethnographic study conducted in a homeless hostel over a seven month period in 2013 in which twenty-two young people (aged 16-21) and twenty-seven staff members participated. The majority of data were derived from participant-observation encompassing 200-250 informal interactions with the young people and 100-120 interactions with staff along with observations of people’s actions and descriptions of events and appearances. The field-notes were supplemented by four semi-structured interviews and a focus group, involving a total of eleven young people. Drawing on theories underpinned by symbolic interactionist and phenomenological philosophies, three overarching dimensions of the young people’s experiences were identified as important to their substance use and wider lives. First, the young people engaged in ‘place-making’ actions (including substance use) to personalise spaces within the tightly controlled environment of the hostel. Secondly, substance use was interwoven with the relationships that the young people held with their families, friends and the staff. The ‘pro-drug’ voices of their friends and relatives were arguably stronger than the ‘anti-drug’ voices of the staff. Thirdly, the categories of ‘youth’ and ‘substance user’ were recognised by the participants as pertaining to them, whereas the ‘homeless’ label was relatively meaningless. The thesis concludes that to understand people’s substance use experiences, it is important to consider the socio-spatial contexts within which they are located, particularly when these are temporary.

Nous analysons ici les discours identitaires d’écrivains des Antilles françaises, principalement Aimé Césaire, Edouard Glissant, Maryse Condé, Patrick Chamoiseau et Raphaël Confiant. Autour de la question centrale des ensembles géographiques que dessinent leurs discours sur l’homme (nègre, noir, antillais ou créole), nous examinons leur contexte de production, les enjeux de leurs positions, leur dimension performative et les voies par lesquelles ces discours peuvent influencer les représentations collectives. Nous portons une attention particulière aux rapports entre écrivains et anthropologues : certains écrivains valorisent la perception du natif et celle de l’artiste, arguant de l’efficacité cognitive de l’écriture littéraire sans disqualifier le discours scientifique. Les espaces d’appartenance qu’ils donnent à voir sont en rapport avec les découpages des littéraires et des savants (en particulier Herskovits, Bastide, Leiris, Benoist, Chaudenson, Hall, Gilroy). Nous montrons que leurs « originales géographies » ne se résument pas à la vision d’Antilles africaines pour Césaire, d’un monde noir pour Condé, d’un monde créole pour la Créolité ou de l’archipel pour Glissant. En rapport avec leurs conceptions des identités, associées à une résistance croissante à l’ethnicisation par l’autre et aux catégorisations, la complexité et la variabilité de leurs discours réduisent leur impact, cependant sensible dans la constitution des fonds locaux des bibliothèques. Ils se préoccupent de la diffusion locale de leurs discours, à travers l’interaction directe avec le public, parfois l’enseignement, et la création de prix littéraires. Nous montrons enfin que les veillées littéraires et autres manifestations dans lesquelles ils s’investissent depuis vingt ans témoignent de leur intérêt pour l’émergence de communautés de lecteurs, la sociabilité littéraire étant le vecteur du renforcement de sentiments d’appartenance. / This work analyzes identitarian discourses among writers from the French Caribbean, in particular Aimé Césaire, Edouard Glissant, Maryse Condé, Patrick Chamoiseau and Raphaël Confiant. Around the central question of the geographical ensembles outlined in their discourses on man (Negro, Black, West Indian or Creole), I examine the context of their production, their implications, their performative dimension and the ways in which these discourses can influence collective representations. I focus in particular on the relations between writers and anthropologists. Certain writers promote native and artistic perception, and stress the cognitive efficacy of literary writing without however disqualifying scientific discourse. The spaces of belonging they set out are linked to mappings proposed by literary scholars and social scientists (notably Herskovits, Bastide, Leiris, Benoist, Chaudenson, Hall, Gilroy). I show that their « original geographies » cannot be reduced to Césaire’s conception of African West Indies, Condé’s Black world, the Creolity movement’s Creole world, or Glissant’s Archipelago. Linked to their conceptions of identity and an increasing resistance to categorizations and to ethnicization by the other, the complexity and variability of their discourses reduce their impact, although it remains visible in the way that local collections in libraries are organized. The writers are concerned with the local diffusion of their discourse through direct interaction with the public, sometimes teaching, and the creation of literary prizes. Finally, I stress that their participation in literary evenings and other cultural events over the last twenty years testifies to their interest in the emergence of reader communities and in literary sociability as a means of reinforcing a sense of belonging.

ABSTRACT Casa Samba is a cultural organization and samba school that has been operating in New Orleans’ performance scene since 1986. The group has been run by an American couple, Curtis and Carol Pierre, since its inception. Their son, Bomani Pierre, has been raised in the Afro-Brazilian drumming and dance practices that Casa Samba teaches and performs. Life histories of the group’s founding family are the basis of this qualitative case study. Using the details of individual lives and the context that these details provide, this dissertation seeks answers to two key questions: How and why does an American couple run a samba school? How does Casa Samba’s presence in New Orleans shape its practices? As Carol and Curtis described their early lives and young adulthoods, it became apparent that each of them was seeking a way to remake their identities. The terrain for analyzing this search became personal authenticity, and I examine how each of the adult Pierres is on a quest for personal authenticity that begins early in their lives and continues through their creation and maintenance of Casa Samba. But the sense of personal authenticity that underwrites the Pierres’ construction of Casa Samba comes into contact with another form of authenticity, one that is external, evaluative, and also the root of New Orleans’ tourism economy. Thus, further questions arose regarding Casa Samba’s location in New Orleans and its cultural landscape. How does the tourist industry shape what is “authentic”? How is Casa Samba an “authentic” New Orleans cultural organization? In what ways is it an “authentic” representative of Brazilian carnival? In the end, authenticity may be too narrow a concept from which to understand the totality of who the Pierre family is and what Casa Samba is. For this reason, this research examines Casa Samba as a utopian project, a site of cultural belonging, and an Afrocentric venture. I propose that Curtis and Carol Pierre have drawn on their knowledge of what is valuable, meaningful, and important—that is, authentic—to produce a cultural organization that reflects their sensibilities to the fullest extent possible.

Utifrån kvalitativa intervjuer redogörs i denna studie för 12 före detta brottsaktiva kvinnors livsberättelser med fokus på hur deras brottsaktiva perioder påbörjades och hur de tog sig ur dem. Studien fokuserar även på hur kvinnorna själva såg på sina identiteter samt hur deras upplevelser kan förstås ur ett genusperspektiv. Intervjuerna har analyserats utifrån Hirschis teori om sociala band, Sutherlands teori om differentiell association, Goffmans teorier om roll, identitet och stigma samt Messerschmidts begrepp om genus, maskuliniteter och femininiteter. I resultatet framkom bland annat att trauman i barndomen bidragit till att kvinnorna börjat begå brott. Dessa trauman gjorde att de sökte sig till likasinnade och fick en chans att forma sin identitet. Alla kvinnor hade också någon form av missbruk vilket var den största orsaken till det kriminella livet. Kvinnorna tog sig ur sina brottsaktiva perioder först när situationen blev ohållbar och de fick nog av sin kriminalitet och sitt missbruk. Den egna viljan tycks vara nyckeln, både till att påbörja men också avsluta sitt kriminella leverne. Gällande genusskillnader framkommer det att rättsväsendet och de kriminella själva tycks behandla kriminella kvinnor annorlunda jämfört med kriminella män. I regel handlar detta om att ett feminint genus alltid är underordnat ett maskulint genus. Flera av kvinnorna i studien förklarade att de intagit ett maskulint genus för att klara sig i den kriminella världen. En brottsaktiv man tycks uppfylla den mest idealiserade formen av manlighet medan en brottsaktiv kvinna anses bryta alla normer gällande femininitet. / Based on qualitative interviews, this study outlines the lives of 12 former criminal women, with a focus on how their criminal lives came about and subsequently ended. The study also focuses on how they saw their identities as well as the ways in which their experiences could be understood through a gender perspective. The interviews have been analyzed using Hirschi's theory of social bond, Sutherland's theory of differential association, Goffman's theories about roles, identity and stigma and Messerschmidt's concepts about gender, masculinities and femininities. The results show that childhood trauma contributed to the beginning of a criminal career for all interviewees; leading the women to seek interaction with likeminded people and thus contributing to the development of identity. All participants in this study state that they ended their criminal career when they felt that their addiction as well as the situation itself was unbearable. The individual choice seems to be key; both with regard to initiating, as well as ending the criminal lifestyle. With regard to the gender aspect, this study lends evidence towards the notion that the judiciary system, as well as the criminals themselves, treats females differently from males. The feminine gender seems to be portrayed as subordinate to the masculine gender. Several of the participants admit to an adaptation of a masculine role in order to survive in the criminal world. A criminal man appears to meet the most idealized form of masculinity whilst a criminal woman goes against all the expectations of femininity.

Inserida no campo de estudo das relações raciais e ações afirmativas, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo principal conhecer as percepções raciais apresentadas por alunos auto classificados negros da Faculdade Zumbi dos Palmares e averiguar, no entendimento destes alunos, o que a experiência de cursar esta faculdade influenciou na maneira como significam esta pertença racial. Localizada na cidade de São Paulo, a Faculdade Zumbi dos Palmares (FZP) é uma instituição privada, de caráter comunitário e sem fins lucrativos que foi criada em 2003 com o objetivo de atender à demanda da população negra por formação em nível superior. Essa iniciativa pretendia constituir uma faculdade de excelência que, além da formação acadêmica, pudesse proporcionar aos estudantes negros um espaço de construção e afirmação da identidade racial por meio de currículos marcados pela transversalidade, que abordam diretamente a questão do negro na sociedade brasileira. Para atender aos seus objetivos, a faculdade instituiu um sistema de cotas raciais no qual destina 50% de suas vagas a alunos auto declarados negros. A pesquisa, de caráter qualitativo, foi realizada entre os anos de 2009 e 2011, a partir de visitas de observação e entrevistas individuais baseadas em questionários semi-estruturados. Foram realizadas cinco entrevistas com alunos dos cursos de Direito e Administração de Empresas e uma entrevista com uma representante da instituição. Os roteiros utilizados pretendiam abarcar diferentes aspectos da vida dos entrevistados e da rotina da faculdade, bem como suas percepções sobre identidade racial e o modo como compreendiam as relações raciais a partir de suas experiências na FZP. Do ponto de vista teórico, essa pesquisa se apoiou nos conceitos de raça, pertencimento racial, socialização e ação afirmativa. Os resultados evidenciam a influência não só do discurso da FZP, mas também da convivência com outros jovens estudantes negros, em um ambiente que se mostrou bastante estimulante e acolhedor ao debate das questões raciais comuns àqueles estudantes. Este contexto comprovou-se propício ao desenvolvimento de um pertencimento racial, entendido aqui como a auto-inclusão em uma coletividade na qual se compartilham valores, anseios e aspirações implicando comprometimento ativo com um projeto de sociedade que vá ao encontro dessas aspirações, ainda que marcado por contradições com os ideias de individualismo e competitividade presentes neste tipo de projeto de ascensão social. / Delving into race relations and affirmative action programs, this study examines the racial perceptions of undergraduate students at Zumbi dos Palmares College who classify themselves as black. It also examines how these students understand their own sense of racial belonging at this institution. Located in the city of São Paulo, Zumbi dos Palmares College (FZP) is a private, non-profit educational organization which was established in 2003 in order to meet the demands of black students with regard to higher education. This college was created to not only to provide excellent educational programs but also to provide an environment where black students can build and affirm strong racial identities through a curriculum that is emphasizes social inclusion, which is something that directly affects black people in Brazilian society. To help reach its goals, the college instituted a racial quota system in which 50% of their available undergraduate spots are reserved for self-declared black students. The qualitative research was carried out from 2009 to 2011, from observational visits and semi-structured individual interviews. The researcher interviewed five students from the Law and Business Administration programs and one representative of the institution. The material used was intended to encompass different aspects of the lives of the respondents within the confines of the college´s routines. Furthermore, the study analyzed studenst perceptions of racial identity and their understanding about race relations from their experiences at FZP. From a theoretical perspective, this research relied on the concepts of race, racial inclusion, socialization and affirmative action. The results show the influence of the open racial discourse at FZP, and more specifically, the effects of groups of young black students living with other young black students in an encouraging and welcoming environment designed to promote the debate of racial issues. This institution has proven to be conducive to the development of racial inclusion a community in which has shared values, desires and aspirations involving an active engagement with a societal project. Nevertheless, it should be noted that these goals, though positive, are marked by some inconsistencies regarding individualism and competitiveness which should be core to a project for social mobility.