De la Balagne à l’ouest de Porto Rico : réseaux et champs migratoires

Abstract

Corsican emigration to Puerto Rico was part of a general movement of European emigration to the Americas during the 19th century. A closer study of the data revealed the presence of a significant number of Balanins alongside the Cap Corsins. Balagne, located in north-west Corsica, is one of the island's richest regions. Its economy is based on agriculture.This emigration movement, already attested to in the first half of the 19th century, was reinforced from 1840 onwards. The Balanese settled mainly in western Puerto Rico. From 1815 onwards, this sparsely populated Caribbean island with vast areas to develop opened up to foreigners. The Balanese participated in the development of commercial agriculture. Some settled in Puerto Rico, while others returned to Corsica.We will examine Balanese emigration to Puerto Rico, integrating the concepts of migratory fields and networks within the framework of a dual macro- and micro-analytical approach.

Keywords

• island
• emigration
• 19th century