Rocha Nogueira, Arlinda, A Imigração Japonêsa para a Lavoura Cafeeira Paulista, 1908-1922.
The chronology, reflected in the title, opens with the arrival of the first organized group of Japanese immigrants in Brazil, and concludes in the year that São Paulo state definitely terminated subsidies to these emigrants. In broad outline, four main areas are considered: Japanese emigration to Brazil as part of a world movement; causative factors in Brazil and Japan; the emigration process; the immigration process and the Japanese experience in Brazil.
In analyzing the fazendeiro-immigrant relationship, the former is not spared for his often reprehensible treatment of the immigrant, and the problems encountered by the immigrants are weighed objectively against their propensity to default on contracts, and to contrive the so-called “artificial families.” One might disagree with the author’s conclusion that work in the Paulista coffee industry provided the immigrant with indispensable financial resources needed for his independence. It was the concensus of Japanese who were interviewed by this reviewer in São Paulo state, that their earnings on the fazendas did no more than bring them to the threshold of tenantry.
The volume could have been strengthened by the inclusion of more personal data about the immigrant, which can be derived only from interviews. However, in its totality this work can be regarded as the most complete treatment of the subject, within its chronological boundaries, that has appeared. It is well-planned, carefully researched, with solid documentation from multi-lingual sources. Its particular strengths, of interest to the specialist, lie in the detailed examination of contractual agreements, and the administration of immigration by São Paulo state.
In general, it should be mentioned that scholars of the several disciplines engaged in the study of immigrant groups in Brazil fail to give adequate recognition to the achievements of individual immigrants. For the Japanese, it is hoped that in due course such recognition can be given to Josei Onaga of São Paulo and Gensiro Nacao of Campo Grande.
Schurig Vieira, Francisca Isabel, O Japonês na Frente de Expansão Paulista: O Processo de Absorção do Japonês em Marília.
Few Brazilian social scientists have been attracted to the intensive focus of the community study, preferring a more broadly based sociological approach. Therefore, most Brazilian community studies have been written by non-Brazilians. The present work, by a Brazilian social anthropologist, reflects a growing interest in these studies that appeared in the 1960s.
The author seeks to analyze the process of Japanese absorption in the urban nucleus of Marília, a city in the region of Alta Paulista, São Paulo. While some interviews were cited, information was obtained largely by questionnaires sent to 414 families, constituting about fifty percent of all local Japanese families, in the period 1964-1966.
Coping with the growing complexity of the Japanese ethnic group is a problem of great magnitude. Not only must distinction be made between Naichi-jin and Ryukyuans (predominantly Okinawans), but also three generations of each—Issei, Nisei and Sansei—together with the “New Japanese,” those who came after World War II. A dichotomy among Nisei must be considered: those with traditional values, and those who identify with the values of Brazilian society. And finally, differentiation of all Japanese classified as urban and rural, as well as the Eta.
The analysis of the family system and the extensive treatment of the Naichi-jin Okinawan relationship are the most insightful seen thus far. But the author is less successful in presenting the social structure of the neighborhoods or zones. Had more attention been devoted to education, intellectual interests, and the nature and impact of the communications media, the study would have added value. Documentation, footnotes and bibliography are impressive, indicating the author’s acquaintance with a wide range of published materials. This book does make a significant contribution to ethnic studies of the Japanese, particularly in the areas noted above, and reflects credit upon the scholarly efforts of Emilio Willems, who did the pioneer work in this field.
Borges Pereira, João Baptista, Italianos no Mundo Rural Paulista.
This monograph centers on the Italian immigrant community of Pedrinhas, founded by the Companhia Brasileira de Colonização e Imigração Italiana, in the region of Alta Sorocabana, São Paulo, in the early 1950s. The subjects of the investigation are 143 families, representative of the three main geographic regions of Italy, brought together in a company-controlled, small-farm community to carry out diversified agriculture.
The author, an anthropologist, seeks empirically to analyze the process of integration of this ethnic group within Brazilian society, and to describe its reaction to the new environment. Emphasis is placed upon the immigrants’ motivation, and their relation to the host country on two levels: physical-geographic and socio-cultural.
Data were obtained by questionnaire, interview and observation. Material dealing with acculturation, given the rather brief time-span, should be regarded as being more exploratory in nature than conclusive, particularly the author’s observations regarding socio-cultural changes; however, support for these observations was sought.
Inherent limitations of the subject—an ethnic oasis in a rural zone, remote from the metropolis, and having little daily contact with Brazilian society other than the lower level—tended to narrow the range of data which could be adduced, but more attention might have been given to such topics as local and regional authority, political attitudes, and the impact of the communications media.
These shortcomings do not diminish in the least the value of this monograph, for it is rich in explanatory hypotheses, and the author makes available a body of data which in miniature captures the essential features of the immigrant community.
