THE CONCEPT OF STRUCTURAL RACISM AND ITS INCOMPATIBILITY WITH COMPREHENSIVE SOCIOLOGY

Abstract

This article discusses the epistemological incompatibility between the concept of structural racism, developed by Silvio Almeida, and the tradition of comprehensive sociology, inaugurated by Max Weber and expanded by authors such as Schutz, Mead, Goffman, and Garfinkel. While structural racism highlights the constitutive and systemic nature of racial inequalities, embedded in historical, political, and economic macrostructures, comprehensive sociology emphasizes the subjective meanings attributed by individuals to their actions, understanding social reality as the outcome of interactions and intersubjective processes. The analysis shows that although both perspectives hold significant analytical value, their methodological assumptions prove largely irreconcilable. It concludes that, despite their epistemological incompatibility, a partial dialogue between the two approaches is possible, particularly in the study of the formation of racialized subjectivities, thereby broadening the understanding of racial phenomena in contemporary societies.