Invisible Bodies to the State

Legal Silence and the Lack of Public Policies for Black Men in Brazil

Abstract

This article analyzes the presence (and absence) of explicit references to Black men in Brazilian public policy documents, aiming to map patterns of institutional invisibility. The study adopts a documentary research design with a qualitative and quantitative approach, examining eight key documents from the fields of Human Rights, Racial Equality, Health, and Education. The terms “Black men,” “Black man,” “Black masculinities,” and “male Black population” were used as search descriptors. The theoretical framework is organized into four axes: intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989; Collins & Bilge, 2020), structural racism (Almeida, 2019; Bento, 2002), Black masculinities (Fanon, 1983; Connell, 1995; Hearn, 1992; Souza, 2013; Restier, 2019; Viveros, 2018), and epistemic injustices (Fraser, 2001; Santos, 2000; Spivak, 2010). The findings reveal a consistent pattern of silencing: only two of the eight documents analyzed explicitly mention Black men — the National Policy for Comprehensive Health Care of the Black Population and a SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System) informational booklet. Even in these cases, references are limited to contexts of vulnerability, especially epidemiological data. The remaining documents rely on broader categories such as “Black population” or “men,” without acknowledging the intersectional specificities of Black male experiences. The absence of explicit naming, even in documents designed to promote racial equality, highlights the limitations of non-intersectional approaches. The study concludes that the invisibility of Black men in public policies reflects structural racism and epistemic injustices. To advance social justice, it is essential to explicitly name this group and to design policies that address their specific needs, moving beyond generic frameworks. Institutional silence is not neutral: it perpetuates inequalities and reinforces the political and social non-recognition of Black men as rights-bearing subjects.

Keywords: Black Men; Public Policies; Intersectionality; Structural Racism; Institutional Invisibility.