Imigratio in Brazil

comments on the contribution of the Social Sciences

Abstract

Scholars from m any different fields o f knowledge began stud ying the them e o f im m igration in Brazil beginn in g in the second h alf o f the nineteenth century, when the num ber o f foreig­ners en tering into the co un try started becom ing a significant portion o f the population. Im ­m igration, considering its m ultiple aspects, is very m uch an interdiscip lin ary field, and it is difficult to em brace the them e in its entireness. T he present paper is a p artial review o f the contribution o f the social sciences - o f anthropology, in particular - to the stud y o f im m igra­tion in Brazil. It seeks to exam ine the theoretical basis, m ethods o f analysis, and recurring themes in this area, beginning with the first sociological publications of the twentieth century and concluding with recent works, presenting a selection of the vast production undertaken in the last twenty years.