Brazilian narratives of migration: a multisited journey

Abstract

Encountering Brazilians in Portugal is a common happening, either as residents, tourists or students. Even if Brazilians can be found almost every-where, many preferred Portugal due to many reasons: historical and colonial links, Portuguese return migration and their descendants, cultural and linguistic proximity, among others. In the twenty-first century, Brazilians have become the larger immigrant community, representing about 25% of all foreigners, thus is pertinent find out more about this phenomenon and reflect upon its implications: reasons, perceptions, gender aspects, coping strategies, among others. Multisited qualitative research has rendered useful to uncover taken-for-granted facts and assumptions about migration, thus here, we draw on data gathered through this methodology to share details and diversities found in the migration narratives found among Brazilian migrants. Hence, this work is based on long-term on-going research about Brazilians in Portugal. Most ethnographic data comes from forty in-depth interviews with immigrants (23 males and 17 females when newcomers), and a multisite ethnography carried out in a popular neighbourhood in Lisbon and in the city of Dourados, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil), which involved at least eight migrant families residing in Lisbon and their extended families and relatives living in Brazil. Most interviews and ethnographic work were carried out between 2003 and 2007. The narratives presented here highlight aspects that are not mainstream, because ethnographic methodology offers the possibility of digging deeper into their migration quest and discourses, considering different sides of the story, at destination and home.