![img-22.jpeg](img_ref_23)
figure 6. Family photograph of Mr Cbico, his wife Viscência, his mother, and his son Fernando. Salvador, Bahia, 1930s. (Anonymous)  
The graph below shows the evolution in the black and 'mulatto' populations, as reported in censuses ranging from 1940 to the most recent in 2010, and shows some relevant findings. Firstly, the modest growth rate for the black population, with a deep-rooted link to the enslaved contingent, appears to be a reflection of the racism and colonial mentality that persists in Brazilian society. Secondly, the spectacular growth of the 'mulatto' population over the decades is a real phenomenon. How can this be explained? The important issue of the 'mulattoization' of the population of Brazil is one which has not been properly reflected upon by the Brazilian people and has gone unnoticed for several decades.  
Let us recall here that the notion of being mixed race is associated with a blurring of the identity, place in society and ancestral references of an individual - in short, the individual's territoriality. There are thousands of men, women, children and elderly people who feel that they do not have a definite place in the social structure of the country, and that the process of 'whitening' is a means of integrating, participating in and being 'seen' in society.
![img-23.jpeg](img_ref_24)  
FIGURE 7. Monitoring Graphic of Black and Mulatto population growth by IBGE. Brazil (1940-2010). (The red bars show the black population; the transparent bars show the 'mulatto' population).