Abstract
Affirmative action has been widely used in Brazil as an important instrument for the implementation of the principle of equity, regarding access to higher education.
In addition to a number of laws that provide for affirmative action, it is important to note that the country’s Supreme Court has already affirmed the constitutionality of affirmative policies in higher education. In this sense, the present chapter aims to analyze one of the main manifestations of such affirmative actions: the quota policy, widely adopted in the most different universities in the country. The quota policy has shown important results in the equalization of opportunities to access higher education, making the university environment more heterogeneous and, above all, enabling the social rise of those historically relegated.The quota policy, one of the main affirmative actions used in Brazil, has shown interesting results in the short term, despite being designed to produce extemporaneous effects, equalizing historical inequalities inherent in the country.In this sense, although already adopted by public universities in an earlier moment, Law n. 12.711 / 2012 was published, which institutionalized the quota policy for all federal higher education, making said affirmative action become compulsory in this universe.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
A Brazilian–Portuguese denomination to the “mixed people”, the “brown” ones.
- 2.
The PPIs is the acronym used to refer to certain skin color or ethnicity as the blacks (“pretos” in Portuguese), brown (the “pardos”) and indigenous (the índios”).
- 3.
As well as those who have some disability.
- 4.
In an exam called “vestibular”.
- 5.
About this, BLATT states that “(…) poverty in Brazil has skin color, i.e., 44,1% of black population lived in household with less than half minimum wage per capita, while white people were 20,5%”. In: BLATT, Ivo. A universidade do século XXI: lugar de excluSao ou de incluSao social?UNIrevista, vol. 1, n 2, abril 2006. URI/UNISINOS, Available in: http://www.fw.uri.br/publicacoes/revistach/artigos/capitulo_9.pdf.
- 6.
The latest full data in this topic.
- 7.
“Men is different from all living beings, but stating that is not enough without real differences. They pursue a dignified existence which is one where all human conditions are respected . However, for this to happen, it is needed to recognize some rights. Therefore, all rights axiomatically related to a person is a fundamental right”. Effting, op. cit., p. 38.
- 8.
See also articles 3°, III and IV, 5°, head provision, I and XLI, 7°, XXX and XXXI, 170, 193, 196 and 205.
- 9.
The Author uses as an example a hypothetical situation of a public position competitive exam: “Assume that this exam is under supervision of research institutions and also evaluates physical abilities which will be used in measurements and studies of black people’s sport specialty. It is obvious that white people will not be permitted to apply for this exam. And there will be no violation against the principle of isonomy excluding other people than the black ones. The proposed research, perfectly valid, justify the hypothetical differentiation. In order to do it, the government would not be obliged to do the same research with white, yellow or red people, or if extended to any of these races, to any race that is not provided in the exam” (Bandeira de Mello 2012, pp. 15–16).
- 10.
That is why it is not possible to create restricted benefits for foreign groups instead of the national ones, even if those have, as a specified differentiation, high academic or technical qualifications because a situation like that violates the principle of an Independent State as provided in article 171, §§1° e 2°, of the Federal Constitution (Bandeira de Mello 2012, p. 43).
- 11.
“Arguição de Descumprimento de Preceito Fundamental” one of the possible direct actions of constitutionality.
- 12.
And so not included in the federal budget.
- 13.
According to the 2010 census, the last one made.
References
Bandeira De Mello, C. A. (2012). O Conteúdo Jurídico do Princípio da Igualdade (21st ed.). Sao Paulo: Malheiros.
Barbosa, R. (1999). Oração aos Moços (5th ed.). Rio de Janeiro: Casa de Rui Barbosa.
Blatt, I. A. (2006, abril). Universidade do século XXI: lugar de exclusão ou de inclusão social? UNIrevista, 1(2). URI/UNISINOS, Disponível em: http://www.fw.uri.br/publicacoes/revistach/artigos/capitulo_9.pdf
Canotilho, J. J. G. (2003). Direito Constitucional e Teoria da Constituição (7th ed.). Coimbra: Almedina.
Effting, P. (2012). A Finalidade do Princípio da Igualdade: a nivelação social – interpretação dos atos de igualar. Sao Paulo: Conceito.
Kunsch, M. (1992). Universidade e Comunicação na Edificação da Sociedade. Sao Paulo: Loyola.
Miranda, J. (2000). Manual de Direito Constitucional (3rd ed.). Coimbra: Coimbra.
Oliveira, J., et al. (2006). Políticas de acesso e expansão da educação superior: concepções e desafios. MEC Ministério da Educação, INEP Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Aluísio Teixeira. Brasília. Disponível em: http://www.publicacoes.inep.gov.br/arquivos/%7B4DDC9880-A5C8-433B58AB2CCE2284C49%7D_MIOLO%20TEXTO%20PARA%20DISCUSSAO%2023.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Becak, R., Cirino, L.F. (2018). Affirmative Actions as an Instrument to Balance Access to Superior Education in Brazil: The Quotas Policy. In: Shah, M., McKay, J. (eds) Achieving Equity and Quality in Higher Education. Palgrave Studies in Excellence and Equity in Global Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78316-1_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78316-1_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-78315-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-78316-1
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)