The Brazilian diaspora: Intra-community dynamics and differentiating factors among Brazilian migrants worldwide

Abstract

While the Brazilian diaspora scholarship is a vibrant literature that emerged in the 1980s and has gained prominence over the years, it remains geographically dispersed. Most studies focus on Brazilian migrants' experiences in a specific country or region of destination, and less attention has been paid to issues that influence the Brazilian diaspora transnationally. While the experiences of Brazilian migrants in different regions are varied and dependent on exogenous factors in the host society, this article reviews and discusses common markers of identity and positioning that shape intra-community social dynamics between Brazilians who reside in different regions of the world. These ‘endogenous differentiating factors’ often produce tensions and intra-community stratification, and may be carried from Brazil to the host community or produced in the host society. This article aims to integrate the geographically dispersed literature and emphasise commonalities experienced by Brazilians worldwide. It also argues that the focus on endogenous differentiating factors relates to a scholarly trend to frame the ‘Brazilian community’ as a heterogeneous entity with its own social dynamics rather than a homogenous ethnic group.