Two books by Djamila Ribeiro are among the best Brazilian nonfiction works of the 21st century

Lugar de Fala (Where We Stand) and Pequeno Manual Antirracista (Short anti-racist guide), by Djamila Ribeiro, were selected for the list of the [25 best Brazilian nonfiction books of the 21st century] by a jury convened by Folha de S.Paulo. With both works included in the ranking, the philosopher becomes the only woman to place two titles in the selection.

The choice recognizes the strength of two books that have shaped Brazilian public debate through different paths. Lugar de Fala, Djamila’s first book and the inaugural title of the Coleção Feminismos Plurais (Plural Feminisms Collection), was originally published by Editora Jandaíra and has recently joined Record’s catalog, with pre-orders for a Brazilian new edition already available. Published in English by Yale University Press as Where We Stand, the work has become part of university course bibliographies and required reading for entrance exams at public and private institutions. Translated into five languages, it has expanded the author’s international presence.

Pequeno Manual Antirracista, published by Companhia das Letras, reached an even broader readership. The book, present in debates on basic education, was the bestselling book in Brazil in 2020, won the Jabuti Prize and became one of the leading contemporary references for racial literacy. The work has already been translated into four languages and will soon have a Polish edition.

In a social media post, Djamila celebrated her presence on the list, emphasizing that institutional recognition adds to an earlier consecration granted by the public. “I am grateful for the recognition, which had already been given by the people, since both books are extremely popular,” she wrote. The author also thanked Lizandra Magon, from Jandaíra; Lívia Vianna, from Record; and Ricardo Teperman, from Companhia das Letras, professionals who have accompanied the editorial journey of the works.

The presence of Lugar de Fala on the list reinforces the centrality of a discussion that the book helped bring into the public sphere in Brazil: who is authorized to produce knowledge, which voices are interrupted and how race, gender and class shape the right to be heard. In the book, Djamila summarizes that everyone has a place of speech, since everyone speaks from a social location, although these positions produce distinct experiences and responsibilities; a formulation that shifts the debate from individual experience to the social location of subjects.

Critical acclaim

On Instagram, Djamila shared the impressions of anthropologist and researcher Debora Diniz on Lugar de Fala. In Debora’s words, the work is “an original intervention in the way we think about power, racial relations and anti-racist literacy, by articulating testimony, knowledge production and discursive legitimacy.” Her assessment speaks to the core of the book: breaking with the idea of universal neutrality, usually sustained by historically authorized voices, in order to open space for Black, feminist and decolonial perspectives.

In Pequeno Manual Antirracista, the recognition falls on a book that turned concepts into everyday action. The work starts from the understanding that racism in Brazil must be analyzed as a social structure, not as an individual deviation. In this direction, Djamila writes that recognizing racism is the best way to fight it, because “we cannot fight what has no name.”

Neuroscientist and writer Sidarta Ribeiro, in a comment on the book, stated that Pequeno Manual Antirracista is “a historic milestone of a people rising up.” The sentence sums up the reach of a work that circulates among schools, book clubs, companies, universities and families in general, turning the debate on racism into a public responsibility.

Folha’s selection therefore confirms that the intellectual production of Black women now occupies an unavoidable place in the interpretation of Brazil. Together, Lugar de Fala and Pequeno Manual Antirracista shift some of the country’s central questions: who is allowed to speak, who has been silenced, who benefits from inequalities and which practices are necessary to transform them.

See the full list: [Discover the best Brazilian nonfiction books of the 21st century, according to a jury convened by Folha]

 

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Um post compartilhado por Djamila Ribeiro (@djamilaribeiro1)