The Unified Black Movement in Brazil, 1978-2002

This intensive historical study of Brazil's Movimento Negro Unificado centers on the political effects and ramifications of the group. In order to present a complete picture of the MNU, it looks at the organization within four separate contexts: international, national, historical and human. Through this approach, the MNU is examined in relation to the African Diaspora, the European colonization of the Americas, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and the development of Brazil as an independent state. From a national perspective, the MNU is viewed amid other social organizations and cultural expressions. The result is a detailed study that admits the organization's shortcomings but assesses them contextually, providing a more complete and nuanced understanding of the significance of the MNU's problems and achievements. Appendices offer the MNU Letter of Principles, the Constitution of the MNU, the preamble to the MNU Action Program and the MNU Hymn. A glossary is also included.