Emigration to Brazil from the perspective of a home community: testimonies from Northeastern Portugal

Abstract

Migration flows are an integral part of the contemporary history of the communities of Northeastern Portugal. The impacts of emigration have widely shaped the demography and the socio-economic and cultural fabric of its people. This study aims to understand the context in which the last waves of emigration to Brazil occurred in the mid-twentieth century, and how the home communities experienced that reality. The methodology consists of a qualitative analysis through interviews carried out in the district of Bragança with people who experienced, in different ways, the last period of emigration to Brazil (occurring in the 50s and 60s of the previous century). Sustaining the importance of preserving memory and promoting oral history, the main conclusions address the difficulties and consequences of emigration to Brazil in a Portuguese home community.

Keywords

• portuguese emigration to brazil
• northeastern portugal
• home community
• oral history