Microhistory and history of immigration: Thinking about the problem of balance and complexity

Abstract

The present article aims to show how the methodology of Italian microhistory has led to the development of studies related to migratory movements. This methodology started to highlight the particular experiences of displacement, indicating to the active role of individuals and families in the articulation of displacements. The concepts of migration chains, networks and strategies have been used, thus allowing the explanations that understood the transfers as a consequence of structural economic factors to be put in new terms. The quest for an understanding of the world of European peasants leaving the country and the resources that families had when they arrived in America, as well as the connections between places of origin and arrivals, are also points that deserve to be deepened when one speaks of immigration to Regions of colonization in Brazil. For all this, it will be indicated how the method of microhistory can still contribute significantly to the development of research in the field of human displacements.