This monograph is one of the best I have read in a long time. Over the years, a good deal has been written about the Southerner migration to Brazil, but this book goes far beyond that. It is a series of well-integrated essays, focusing on two important and previously unresearched aspects: the impact of the confederados on Brazilian society and culture, and the ways the original settlers and their descendants adapted to a whole new culture without losing their own cultural identity. The essays are uniformly well written and documented. Even though each deals with a different aspect of the confederado experience, they flow well from one topic to another.
The essays follow three basic patterns. They continue previous research on the study of emigration, adding a great deal of new archival material. They also seek to understand better the ways Americans influenced Brazilian culture. Finally, they examine in depth the status of the confederado community as it still exists. A definite plus is the annotated bibliography, a rich source for those pursuing further research.
Another plus for these articles is their extensive use of diaries, narratives, and other direct quotations from those who lived the experience. It not only livens up the material but provides a strong picture of how these people dealt with their situation. Most of the original source material comes from Alabama, from where a large number of the emigrants came. If materials are available, a follow-up book on experiences of people from other states would round out the picture.
One highly significant aspect of the book is its attention to the problem and impact of importing Protestant religion to Brazil. The two sections on the Baptists and the Methodists and the numerous references to the Presbyterians focus very well on the importance of religion for the confederados, and how the new religion fit into a predominantly Roman Catholic society.
As the editors point out clearly in their conclusion, the chapters flow together to present three important themes. The first is the Southerners’ motivations for coming to Brazil in the first place. The research here displays a complex set of “push” factors, most of which have never been stated in earlier research. The second theme, which I consider essential to the whole fabric of the book, is the varied and valuable contributions the settlers made to Brazilian culture. The third theme is assimilation, and here the authors have done an excellent job of showing not simply the adaptation to a new country but, even more important, the group self-awareness that prevented a wholesale dissolution of the community into the larger social milieu.
In short, this book deserves very high marks as a significant insight into Brazilian social history. It is also a fascinating and highly readable work.
