Mugge co-edits new book on 'racialized frontiers' in Brazil

Miqueias Mugge's new book, “Africanos Minas-Nagôs no Rio Grande do Sul (Mina-Nagô Africans in Rio Grande do Sul),” examines the historical presence of West Africans in the southern Brazil and their enduring legacy.

On August 4, 2024, Mugge, academic research manager at Brazil LAB, and his co-author, Marcelo Matheus, a historian at Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, launched the book at the Public Library of the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The event was organized by the Brazilian Historical Association (ANPUH).

Through a detailed exploration of local judicial and administrative archives, the book reveals how West Africans, many of whom were enslaved, played a critical role in shaping the region’s social and economic structures from the 18th to the 20th century. It also delves into their creative ways of resisting enslavement, preserving and recreating cultural and religious traditions, and their ongoing fight for freedom and recognition.