University of São Paulo: Symposium at USP discusses the resistance and memory of immigrants
In order to instigate the debate on human displacements in the 20th and 21st centuries, the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences (FFLCH) at USP promotes, on November 3, 4 and 11, the second edition of the international colloquium Immigrants, Exilados and Refugees: Life Paths and Marks of a Legacy .
Organized by the Laboratory of Studies on Ethnicity, Racism and Discrimination (Leer) of the FFLCH, the event is the result of a study that has been developed at USP for two years, with support from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (Fapesp). The Laboratory of Immigration Studies (Labimi) of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) also collaborates with the symposium.
“The purpose of the colloquium is to encourage new studies on the issue of migration, in addition to dialoguing with the existing historiography on the subject”, explains Professor Maria Luiza Tucci Carneiro, professor at the Department of History at FFLCH and coordinator of Leer. “We also clearly bring the discussion about the rights guaranteed not only to the immigrant, but also to the stateless person, the exile and the refugee who seek shelter here in Brazil.”
The term “immigrant” is used generically to describe any type of human movement between countries, including voluntary. “Exiled” and “refugee” are terms that designate specific conditions of migration. In these cases, the change of territory is carried out against the will of the individual, who chooses to move due to coercion, fear or risk of life. Stateless person, on the other hand, is a person whose nationality is not recognized by any country.
“The contribution that these people bring to Brazilian culture, seeking to value the different ethnicities and customs they carry with them, is enormous. It is very important for us to celebrate this legacy”, says Maria Luiza Tucci Carneiro.
“We also seek to deny the myth that Brazil has always been a cordial nation. Racism has been present at all times in the history of our country”, explains Tucci. “Historically, immigrants have been represented as undesirable citizens, a harmful thought that persists to this day.” During the Getúlio Vargas dictatorship (1937-1945) and the military dictatorship (1964-1985), the Brazilian State took a rigid stance towards the entry of immigrants into the country, says the professor, who also points to the historical attempt to whiten racial population through the reception of European immigrants only.
On November 3, the symposium will open with Federico Croci, professor at the University of Genoa, Italy, and a long-time collaborator of Leer. “Professor Croci worked with us for four years, and published with me, through Editora da USP, the book Tempos de Fascismos : Ideologia, Intolerância, Imaginário ,” says Maria Luiza Tucci Carneiro. In his lecture — which takes place at 9:30 am, at the FFLCH’s Nicolau Sevcenko Auditorium —, the researcher will discuss the myth of the three races, the historical perception that Brazilian culture was formed without conflicts through the integration of European, African and indigenous customs. “This conception minimizes intolerant speeches and the obstruction of the free movement of immigrants who were present during colonization”, says Tucci.
Érica Sarmiento, coordinator of the Laboratory of Immigration Studies at UERJ, ends the first cycle of lectures on November 4, at 4 pm, also in the Nicolau Sevcenko Auditorium. At the conference Women and Forced Migrations in Latin America: Trajectories of Female Bodies, Violence and Resistance in the 21st Century , the researcher will discuss the profile of migrant women and the lack of Brazilian policies to receive them.
Subsequently, at 4:45 pm, the colloquium promotes the launch of two books by Érica, both with the theme of immigration. Published by Editora Intermeios, the works Forced Migrations, Resistances and Perspectives: Central America, Mexico and the United States (2016-2020) and Between the Tropics and Rio de la Plata: Comparative Studies of Galician Immigration in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires — written in partnership with Ruy Farías — are the result of the professor’s extensive research on human displacement in the 21st century.
On November 11, the event’s schedule will be entirely online. On the occasion, the FFLCH welcomes researchers linked to the University of Warsaw, in Poland.
Other speakers will discuss topics such as Roma, Portuguese, Angolan, Spanish, Italian, Venezuelan and Lebanese immigration. “It is important to highlight the participation of Professor Elis Regina Barbosa Angelo, who studies the cordel literature of Northeastern migrants. This will be the only lecture dedicated to human displacement within Brazil”, highlights Tucci Carneiro.