impact of inclusive social policies on access to medical education in brazil by historically excluded populations: breaking the “pact of whiteness”
1
Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia, Santo Antônio de Jesus-Bahia, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A715
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
in brazil, colonialism established social, political, and economic structures that historically excluded black and indigenous populations from access to public goods and services, including higher education¹,². these barriers are intensified in prestigious undergraduate programs, such as medicine, which have traditionally been accessed predominantly by white individuals from higher socioeconomic classes³. black women scholars have analyzed how structural racism operates within brazilian institutions, reinforcing hierarchies and limiting educational and professional opportunities²,⁴. this study examines the role of inclusive social policies in expanding access to medical education and challenging the “pact of whiteness.”
METHODS:
this study uses an autoethnographic approach based on the life experience of the researcher, a black woman from a working-class background who became a family and community physician. personal narrative serves as an analytical tool to examine how social markers such as race, class, and gender shaped educational and professional trajectories. the analysis draws on black feminist theoretical contributions²,⁴ and the concept of escrevivência, proposed by conceição evaristo⁵, which legitimizes lived experience as knowledge production.
RESULTS:
inclusive social policies in brazil functioned as mechanisms of social and racial reparation. these include racial and social quota policies⁶, income transfer programs such as bolsa família⁷, and the program for restructuring and expansion of federal universities⁸. collectively, these policies increased access to medical education for historically excluded populations, enhanced representation, reduced structural inequalities, and promoted equity and social mobility among black and indigenous students.
CONCLUSIONS:
inclusive social policies promoting social and racial reparation reduce structural inequalities and expand access to higher education and medical training in brazil. as a technical-scientific outcome, this study proposes workshops entitled “a gente combinamos de não morrer,” directed at primary health care professionals and medical students to foster awareness of structural racism and promote equity in health education.
in brazil, colonialism established social, political, and economic structures that historically excluded black and indigenous populations from access to public goods and services, including higher education¹,². these barriers are intensified in prestigious undergraduate programs, such as medicine, which have traditionally been accessed predominantly by white individuals from higher socioeconomic classes³. black women scholars have analyzed how structural racism operates within brazilian institutions, reinforcing hierarchies and limiting educational and professional opportunities²,⁴. this study examines the role of inclusive social policies in expanding access to medical education and challenging the “pact of whiteness.”
METHODS:
this study uses an autoethnographic approach based on the life experience of the researcher, a black woman from a working-class background who became a family and community physician. personal narrative serves as an analytical tool to examine how social markers such as race, class, and gender shaped educational and professional trajectories. the analysis draws on black feminist theoretical contributions²,⁴ and the concept of escrevivência, proposed by conceição evaristo⁵, which legitimizes lived experience as knowledge production.
RESULTS:
inclusive social policies in brazil functioned as mechanisms of social and racial reparation. these include racial and social quota policies⁶, income transfer programs such as bolsa família⁷, and the program for restructuring and expansion of federal universities⁸. collectively, these policies increased access to medical education for historically excluded populations, enhanced representation, reduced structural inequalities, and promoted equity and social mobility among black and indigenous students.
CONCLUSIONS:
inclusive social policies promoting social and racial reparation reduce structural inequalities and expand access to higher education and medical training in brazil. as a technical-scientific outcome, this study proposes workshops entitled “a gente combinamos de não morrer,” directed at primary health care professionals and medical students to foster awareness of structural racism and promote equity in health education.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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