Summary of immigration, ethnicity and national identity in Brazil (Lesser, 2012)
Key events
• 17th-18th century: Portugese crown coerced less-desired people to settle in Brazil
• early 1800s: British pressure to end slavary
• 1807: Napolean invaded Portugal
• 1807: Migration of Portuegese court to Brazil
• 1815: Napoleon’s influence over portugal ended
• 1818-1820: Nova Friburgo as colonony building city for Switzers
• 1819: Hiring protestant minister → open doors protestant people
• 1822: Brazil’s independence from portugal
• 1824: Brazil government subsidised entry of Central European Immigrants
Introduction
Immigration is a significant part of Brazilian national identity, with many people describing
the country as a "nation of immigrants" and immigrants being seen as improving the nation
through absorption and mixture. The idea of immigration helped elites in Brazil envision a
future that was different and better than their present, and this idea was also embraced by non-
elites. In Brazil, the term "immigrant" is often used in a more flexible way, encompassing both
those who have moved to the country and their descendants, and that the experience of
immigration is ongoing and about creating a superior future Brazil.
A hemispheric Perspective
Latin America is often seen as a region of emigrants in contemporary times, but this image is
a recent one. Historically, Europeans arrived in large numbers in Latin America from the 16th
century until the mid-19th century, along with millions of African slaves. By the early 19th
century, the descendants of these settlers were forming new "Latin American" identities and
the new national elites often looked to Europe for population growth. Between 1870 and 1930,
about four million immigrants settled in Argentina, two to three million in Brazil, one million
in Cuba, and 400,000 in Uruguay. These numbers challenge the stereotype of Latin America
being populated mostly by indigenous people, people of African descent, and people of mixed
backgrounds. Throughout Latin America, immigrants have played a crucial role in the
formation of national identity and have had a significant impact on the population growth of
the countries.
The Seeds of Mass Immigration
In the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the Portuguese crown settled Brazil's
frontiers with the Spanish colonies by coercing less-than-desired populations to settle there. As
a result, Brazil's population included indigenous peoples, Portuguese settlers and their
Key events
• 17th-18th century: Portugese crown coerced less-desired people to settle in Brazil
• early 1800s: British pressure to end slavary
• 1807: Napolean invaded Portugal
• 1807: Migration of Portuegese court to Brazil
• 1815: Napoleon’s influence over portugal ended
• 1818-1820: Nova Friburgo as colonony building city for Switzers
• 1819: Hiring protestant minister → open doors protestant people
• 1822: Brazil’s independence from portugal
• 1824: Brazil government subsidised entry of Central European Immigrants
Introduction
Immigration is a significant part of Brazilian national identity, with many people describing
the country as a "nation of immigrants" and immigrants being seen as improving the nation
through absorption and mixture. The idea of immigration helped elites in Brazil envision a
future that was different and better than their present, and this idea was also embraced by non-
elites. In Brazil, the term "immigrant" is often used in a more flexible way, encompassing both
those who have moved to the country and their descendants, and that the experience of
immigration is ongoing and about creating a superior future Brazil.
A hemispheric Perspective
Latin America is often seen as a region of emigrants in contemporary times, but this image is
a recent one. Historically, Europeans arrived in large numbers in Latin America from the 16th
century until the mid-19th century, along with millions of African slaves. By the early 19th
century, the descendants of these settlers were forming new "Latin American" identities and
the new national elites often looked to Europe for population growth. Between 1870 and 1930,
about four million immigrants settled in Argentina, two to three million in Brazil, one million
in Cuba, and 400,000 in Uruguay. These numbers challenge the stereotype of Latin America
being populated mostly by indigenous people, people of African descent, and people of mixed
backgrounds. Throughout Latin America, immigrants have played a crucial role in the
formation of national identity and have had a significant impact on the population growth of
the countries.
The Seeds of Mass Immigration
In the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the Portuguese crown settled Brazil's
frontiers with the Spanish colonies by coercing less-than-desired populations to settle there. As
a result, Brazil's population included indigenous peoples, Portuguese settlers and their
