An Introduction to “Seeking Displacement: Remapping São Paulo’s Geographies of African Descent”

São Paulo is today the most populous city in the Southern Hemisphere: a multicultural metropolis whose meteoric growth began in the late nineteenth century through the migration of newly-freed African descendants and immigrants from East Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. São Paulo was also the provincial capital of slavery’s final frontier in the Americas. The city’s development was intimately tied to slavery and its abolition.

This interactive map shows how officials displaced these pasts through changes to the city’s built and natural environments in the 1930s-’40s. In doing so, it contributes to the reconstruction of a handful of the most significant spaces for African descendants in São Paulo. Users are invited to explore change in space and across time and derive new insights in the process. Follow this brief introductory tour to familiarize yourself with the map’s functionality.

Please note the site is still in development, slated for release as a companion to the book 'I'll Samba Someplace Else': Planning Race and Space in São Paulo, 1930s-1980s. Contact Andrew G. Britt with any questions.