Brazil and Canada by Barbosa Rosana;

Author:Barbosa, Rosana;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic

Part II

Migratory Links

Chapter 5

Historical Overview

Part II of this book raises more questions than it provides answers. The objective here is to uncover virtually unknown migration episodes involving Brazil and Canada. Emphasis is given to the roles taken by these two countries, especially Brazil, within the broad Atlantic migration system of the period. As the historiography shows, from the second half of the nineteenth century to the onset of World War I, an unprecedented number of individuals, mainly Europeans, migrated to the Americas, as well as to other parts of the world. The improvements in transportation, especially with the development of railroads and steamships, allowed for safer, cheaper and longer journeys.1

Scholars studying this mass migration movement have developed various explanations to understand why people made the decision to migrate. Studies have shown that specific social and economic realities in their motherlands, as well as in their countries of destination, played a fundamental role. In other words, people decided to migrate if there was a chance that their move would maintain or improve their living conditions and/or those of their children.2 But in order to make the decision to migrate, they also needed to know that there were resources in their potential destinations that could satisfy their needs.3 Therefore, according to the push–pull theory, people were either pushed out of their countries or were pulled to other areas that seemed to offer better conditions for economic and social improvement—or both.

Still, some historians strongly committed to the push–pull approach have overemphasized the role of poverty in causing migration, as if the only options would be to migrate or to starve.4 The reality was that there were multiple factors influencing individuals to leave, such as: job availability rather than wage improvement, spiritual and emotional comfort, as well as security.5 In particular, an important aspect was the existence of kinship and regional networks. Indeed, individuals were often persuaded to migrate by friends and relatives who had previously migrated and who could assist in their settlement. Not only did they influence the decision to leave, but they also played an important role in choosing a destination.6

Finally, scholars have identified various other factors, such as age, resources and personality that influenced potential migrants’ decisions to move or not. For instance, migration was facilitated by the individuals’ and families’ ability to bear economic and noneconomic moving costs, while it could also be deterred by commitments to family and economic security. As a result, young and single people were likely to have fewer commitments, and were therefore more likely to migrate. Scholars have also emphasized the role played by navigation companies and governmental recruitment in influencing migration.7

In regard to Canadian emigration to Brazil, such general approaches as those outlined above can only partially help to understand why people made the decision to move. For instance, it is true that when hundreds of Quebecers made the decision to migrate to Brazil in the 1890s, there were economic crises not only in Canada but also in the United States. In addition,

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.