ABSTRACT
The extremely high level of economic inequality has been produced and safeguarded by the political systems in Latin America. A problem for Latin America was and still is the fact that no ideology of equality exists which is effective and well-anchored in society and which could challenge the unequal system of power and privileges. The differences between Brazil and the other Latin American countries have historical roots in their different forms of colonialism. Recent sociological research has strongly criticized the concept of 'race democracy', the most extensive and systematic discussion is provided by Eduard Telles. Latin America is one of the two most unequal macro-regions around the world. Recent research as well as a reanalysis of ISSP data for Brazil has clearly proved that we can understand the pervasive economic inequality in this country only if we understand it as a 'coloured class structure'.
