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Chains of Gold: Portuguese Migration to Argentina in Transatlantic Perspective (Studies in Global Social History) PDF

370 Pages·2009·3.44 MB·English
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Chains of Gold Studies in Global Social History Series Editor Marcel van der Linden International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam, Th e Netherlands Editorial Board Sven E. Beckert Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA Philip Bonner University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Dirk Hoerder University of Arizona, Phoenix, AR, USA Chitra Joshi Indraprastha College, Delhi University, India Amarjit Kaur University of New England, Armidale, Australia Barbara Weinstein New York University, New York, NY, USA VOLUME 2 Chains of Gold Portuguese Migration to Argentina in Transatlantic Perspective By Marcelo J. Borges LEIDEN • BOSTON 2009 Cover illustration: Commemoration of the anniversary of the Portuguese Republic and Portuguese festival. On stage, the men’s and women’s commissions of the Portuguese Mutual Aid Association of Comodoro Rivadavia; at the center, the fl ags and shields of Argentina and Portugal, 1935. Author’s personal collection. Th is book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Borges, Marcelo J. Chains of gold : Portuguese migration to Argentina in transatlantic perspective / by Marcelo J. Borges. p. cm. — (Studies in global social history, ISSN 1874-6705; v. 2) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-17648-5 (hbk. : alk. paper) 1. Portuguese—Argentina—History. 2. Immigrants—Argentina—History. 3. Portuguese—Argentina—Social conditions. 4. Portuguese—Argentina—Economic conditions. 5. Social networks—Argentina—History. 6. Algarve (Portugal)— Emigration and immigration—Social aspects. 7. Portugal—Emigration and immigration—Social aspects. 8. Argentina—Emigration and immigration—Social aspects. 9. Algarve (Portugal)—Social conditions. 10. Algarve (Portugal)—Economic conditions. I. Title. II. Series. F3021.P8B69 2009 304.8’820469—dc22 2009012410 ISSN 1874-6705 ISBN 978 90 04 17648 5 Copyright 2009 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, Th e Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to Th e Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands CONTENTS List of Illustrations ............................................................................. vii List of Maps, Tables and Figures ..................................................... ix Acknowledgements ............................................................................ xi Abbreviations ...................................................................................... xv Chapter One Maria vai com as outras (Monkey See, Monkey Do) ................................................................................... 1 Portuguese Migration in Argentina ............................................ 5 Regional Flows and Local Networks ...................................... 11 Spatial Distribution and Immigrant Communities ............. 16 Approach ......................................................................................... 20 Chapter Two Migration in Context: Society, Economy, and Population in Rural Algarve ........................................................ 25 Th e Land and Its Uses .................................................................. 29 Rural Life and Migration in Two Algarvian Parishes ............. 38 Population and Space ............................................................... 39 Economy ..................................................................................... 42 Social Groups ............................................................................. 47 Domestic Groups ...................................................................... 50 Migration as a Family Strategy ............................................... 54 Demography and Emigration ................................................. 61 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 68 Chapter Th ree Regional Patterns of Migration: A Systems Approach ......................................................................................... 71 Migration Systems ......................................................................... 73 A Systems Approach to Algarvian Migrations ......................... 75 Th e Algarve and the Southern Iberia Migration System ........ 78 Gibraltar ...................................................................................... 79 Southern Spain and Alentejo .................................................. 84 Other Circuits of Medium-distance Migration .................... 96 Th e Algarve and the Atlantic Migration System ...................... 99 Causes, Continuities, and Changes ........................................ 100 vi contents Information and Perceptions ................................................... 109 Transatlantic Destinations ............................................................ 115 Portuguese Africa: Th e Colonial Path ................................... 118 Fazer a América: Destination Selection ................................. 121 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 136 Chapter Four Chains of Gold: Migratory Networks in Two Portuguese Immigrant Communities ................................ 139 Oil Camps and Suburban Gardens: Portuguese Migrants in Two Contrasting Receiving Societies ..................................... 140 Comodoro Rivadavia: Th e Making of an Oil Town ............ 143 Villa Elisa: From Bourgeois Retreat to Family Gardening .............................................................................. 149 Th e Dynamics of Chain Migration ............................................ 155 Forging the Chains: Origins and Social Spaces ................... 157 Phases: Pioneers, Migrant Workers, and Families ............... 165 Comodoro Rivadavia ................................................................ 169 Villa Elisa .................................................................................... 183 Os esquecidos: Th e Broken Links of Chain Migration ............ 193 Chain Migration and Ethnic Middlemen .................................. 197 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 206 Chapter Five Making a Living and Making a Life: Economic and Social Adaptation ................................................ 209 Making a Living ............................................................................. 210 Black El Dorado: Working in Comodoro Rivadavia ........... 211 Women and Work ..................................................................... 226 Gigantic Gardens of Flowers: Working in Villa Elisa ......... 233 A Family Aff air: Generations and Gender ............................ 246 Social Networks and Occupational Chains ............................... 253 Making a Life: Marriage Patterns ............................................... 265 Old and New Social Ties ......................................................... 274 Social and Ethnic Life ................................................................... 283 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 301 Bibliography and Sources ................................................................. 305 Index .................................................................................................... 339 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1. View of Km 3 oil fi elds in winter. Courtesy of the Archivo Histórico Municipal de Comodoro Rivadavia– Patagonia Mosaic Project, Dickinson College ....................... 144 2. Weeding the fi elds in the fl ower garden of the Carneirinho family, Villa Elisa, 1965. Courtesy of Diario El Día, La Plata ........................................................................... 150 3. Oil Well 2 drilling team, 1907, Courtesy of Ignacio Locco–Patagonia Mosaic Project, Dickinson College .......... 214 4. Oil workers on Well 218, 1923. Courtesy of the Archivo Histórico Municipal de Comodoro Rivadavia–Patagonia Mosaic Project, Dickinson College ......................................... 215 5. Preparing the fi eld in the quintas of La Plata County. Courtesy of Diario El Día, La Plata ........................................ 234 6. Cutting chrysanthemums inside a Villa Elisa glasshouse. Courtesy of Diario El Día, La Plata ........................................ 235 7. Juan Ferreira and his sons fumigating a glasshouse with carnations, Villa Elisa, 1965. Courtesy of Diario El Día, La Plata ........................................................................................ 247 8. A fl ower gardener and his family cleaning broken glass aft er a hail storm, Villa Elisa, 1972. Courtesy of Diario El Día, La Plata ........................................................................... 248 9. Portuguese wedding picture. Alexandrina Viegas and João Madeira, Km 8, 1927. Courtesy of Maria Francisca Viegas de Jesús–Patagonia Mosaic Project, Dickinson College .......................................................................................... 266 10. Live tableau to commemorate the anniversary of the Portuguese Republic and the foundation of the local Portuguese Mutual Aid Association, Comodoro Rivadavia, 1943. Courtesy of Maria Francisca Viegas de Jesús– Patagonia Mosaic Project, Dickinson College ....................... 284 11. Portuguese festivities, Comodoro Rivadavia, 1950s. Courtesy of Idalete Madeira and Manuel Gomes Correia–Patagonia Mosaic Project, Dickinson College ....... 285 12. Ceremony commemorating Portugal Day in a downtown La Plata park, organized by the Portuguese Club of La Plata, 1965. Courtesy of Diario El Día, La Plata .................. 286 LIST OF MAPS, TABLES AND FIGURES Maps 1.1: Portugal by Districts ................................................................. 13 1.2: Argentina by Provinces ............................................................ 19 2.1: Algarve ........................................................................................ 31 4.1: Comodoro Rivadavia and Environs ....................................... 146 4.2: Villa Elisa and Environs ........................................................... 152 4.3: Social Space of Origin of Algarvian Immigrants in Comodoro Rivadavia and Villa Elisa ..................................... 162 4.4: Areas of Origin of Portuguese Immigrants in Comodoro Rivadavia ..................................................................................... 166 4.5: Areas of Origin of Portuguese Immigrants in Villa Elisa ............................................................................................. 167 Tables 1.1: Regional Origins of Portuguese Migrants in Argentina .................................................................................... 8 1.2: Portuguese Immigration in Argentina by Decade, 1857–1959 ................................................................................... 10 1.3: Portuguese Emigration to Argentina by Districts of Origin, 1914–55 ......................................................................... 14 1.4: Portuguese Migration in Argentina by County of Origin, 1910s–1960s ................................................................. 15 2.1: Residence of Out-of-Town Spouses in Boliqueime and São Brás de Alportel, 1878–1920 ............................................ 42 2.2: Occupations of Male Head of Households in Boliqueime .................................................................................. 46 2.3: Occupations of the Grooms and Fathers at the Time of Marriage in Boliqueime and São Brás de Alportel, 1878–1920 ................................................................................... 46 2.4: Household Types in Boliqueime and São Brás de Alportel ....................................................................................... 53

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