Afro-entrepreneurship beyond neoliberalism: Quilombismo as a theoretical-practical basis for black emancipation in Brazil

Objective: This theoretical–conceptual essay aims to suggest Abdias do Nascimento’s Quilombismo as a theoretical–practical alternative to Afro-entrepreneurship, given the limitations of prevailing neoliberal approaches, and to propose a framework based on three key pillars: network support, financial self-organization, and Afro-centered education. Dilemma/problem or Thesis: The study departs from a critique of the reliance on short-lived cycles of anti-racist awareness driven by events between 2018 and 2021 — such as the Black Panther film, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Black Lives Matter movement — which tend to generate reactive, episodic, and unsustainable responses in the field of Afro-entrepreneurship. Relevance/originality: By shifting the focus from reactive responses to exogenous events toward endogenous and long-term construction, the article breaks with neoliberal approaches and introduces Quilombismo as the theoretical–practical foundation for Afro-entrepreneurship. It advances an Afro-centered and emancipatory perspective that remains underexplored in management and entrepreneurship literature. Results: A framework was developed that articulates network support, financial self-organization, and Afro-centered education to strengthen collective action and the economic sustainability of Black communities, reducing vulnerability to conjunctural and short-term movements. Theoretical/methodological contributions: The study provides an analytical model that expands academic debate on Afro-entrepreneurship and challenges the dependence on neoliberal perspectives. Social/managerial contributions: It offers insights for public policies and community-based initiatives aimed at Black economic emancipation, transforming Black culture into a sustainable political and economic asset and fostering more structural racial inclusion.