UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title A Hidden Immigration: The Geography of Polish-Brazilian Cultural Identity Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12n2t3zd Author Dvorak, Anna Publication Date 2013 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles A Hidden Immigration: The Geography of Polish-Brazilian Cultural Identity A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Geography by Anna Katherine Dvorak 2013 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION A Hidden Immigration: The Geography of Polish-Brazilian Cultural Identity by Anna Dvorak Doctor of Philosophy in Geography University of California, Los Angeles, 2013 Professor Stephen Bell, Chair Around two million people of Polish descent live in Brazil today, comprising approximately one percent of the national population. Their residence is concentrated mainly in the southern Brazil region, the former provinces (and today states) of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul regions. These areas were to large extent a demographic vacuum when Brazil began its history as a nation in 1822, but now include the foci of some of this huge country’s most dynamic economies. Polish immigration played a major role in adding new elements to Brazilian culture in many different ways. The geography of some of these elements forms the core of the thesis. At the heart of this work lies an examination of cultural identity shifts from past to present. This is demonstrated through a rural-urban case study that analyzes the impacts of geography, cultural identity, and the environment. The case study is a rural-urban analysis of two particular examples in Paraná, which will discuss these patterns and examine migration tendencies throughout ii southern Brazil. As a whole, this thesis aims to explain how both rural and urban Polish- Brazilian cultural identities changed through time, linking these with both economic and demographic shifts. iii The dissertation of Anna Dvorak is approved. Susanna Hecht William Summerhill Stephen Bell, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2013 iv Dedicated to my inspirations: my mom, Stephen Bell and Ks. Zdzisław Malczewski v TABLE OF CONTENTS VITA ABSTRACT Intro 01 Chapter I Land and Settlement in Southern Brazil. 10 Conclusion, 29. Chapter II The Sending Conditions. 31 Background: Poland’s Beginnings, Foreign Influence, and the Relationship of People to their Land, 36. Introduction to Political Push Factors: Statistics for Poland as an Emigration Country, 42. Political Partitions of Poland, 45. Prussian Occupation, 49. Russian Occupation (“Congress Poland”), 58. Austrian Occupation (“Galicia”), 68. Organizations in all Partitions, 78. Conclusion, 90. Chapter III Polish Immigration to Brazil: Pull Factors. 91 Early History, 95. Initial Experience/Obstacles, 99. Historical Background: Federal, State, and Private Colonization, 108. The Second “Brazilian Fever”, 116. Changes Occurring in Polish Settlements, 124. Key Polish Figures and Positive Change for Poles in the Twentieth Century, 126. Chapter IV The Effects of Environments on Cultural Identity. 131 Background: Curitiba and Santana, 134. Curitiba, 149. Rural versus Urban, 153. Economy, Education, Society, and Livelihoods, 155. Education, 161. Role of the Government, 162. Polish Organizations, 165. Cultural Identity in Curitiba and Santana: Customs, 168. Role of Religion, 169. Family, 176. Food Customs, 178. Peasant Evolution: Changes in Ideology and Motives, 181. Conclusion, 184. Chapter V Recent Immigration, Contemporary Polish-Brazilian Identity and Polish Contributions. 186 Santana, 188. Curitiba, 193. Braspol, 202. Caxias do Sul, 207. Change in Perceptions towards Poles in Brazil Today, 209. Polish Identity in Brazil Today, 211. Important Polish Figures and their Significance in Brazil: Twenty First Century, 213. Chapter VI Conclusion. 216 Bibliography 221 vi LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Tables Table I Relative Population Increase in “Congress Poland” 43 Table II Polish Immigrant Occupations in 1908 and 1912 67 Table III Breakdown of Religious Denominations in Galicia 1900 71 Table IV Numbers of Emigrants per 1,000 Inhabitants 1908-1910 74 Table V Polish Immigrants in Non-European Countries 1938 88 Table VI Number of Poles in Brazilian States 1937 125 Figures Figure I Colonization Zones in Southern Brazil 15 Figure II Southern Brazil: Numbers of People in Southern Brazil 23 at the Time of the 1950 Census who Spoke a First Language other than Portuguese Figure III Poland under the Occupation of Russia, Prussia and 46 Austria 1795 Figure IV The Duchy of Warsaw 1809 47 Figure V The Kingdom of Poland per Congress of Vienna 1815 48 Figure VI Polish Immigrants Traveling by Covered Wagon in Paraná 133 vii VITA 2007 B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies Field, University of California, Los Angeles 2008 M.A., Geography, California State University, Northridge PUBLICATIONS 2012 Dvorak, Anna. “The Role of NGOs in Preventing Illegal Logging in Latin America: An Issue Concerning Indigenous Rights and Environmental Protection.” Hemispheric Review 1(1). 2012 Dvorak, Anna. “A Geografia Cultural da Colonização Polonesa no Brasil.” Polonicus 3(1): 95-107. 2011 Dvorak, Anna. “A Geografia Historica da Colonização e da Imigração Europeia no sul do Brasil.” Polonicus 2(4): 106-122 2011 Dvorak, Anna. “The Positive Impacts of Using Data Visualization in Geography Education” International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications 2 (2): 8 2011 Dvorak, Anna. “The Effects of American Investment and Tourism in Panama.” International Space and Flows 1(1): 15-24 viii Introduction Around two million people of Polish descent live in Brazil today. These people form approximately one percent of the national population. Their residence is concentrated mainly in the southern Brazil region, the former provinces (and today states) of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, regions which were to large extent a demographic vacuum when Brazil began its history as a nation in 1822, but which now include the foci of some of this huge country‘s most dynamic economies. It is frequently claimed that Curitiba, the capital city of the state of Paraná, is today home to the largest urban population of people with Polish cultural roots outside of Poland itself, excepting only the much better-known Chicago. Polish immigration played instrumental roles in adding new elements to Brazilian culture on many different levels. The geography of some of these elements and how they are reflected in evolving Brazilian landscapes forms the core of the thesis. Further in the thesis there is a discussion on different land management techniques and how they affected the environment. On account of poor management of land and lack of education or awareness about agricultural techniques, how soils became easily exhausted is an illustration of evolving Brazilian landscapes. This study examines the cultural practices and ethnic identity of the Polish settlers in two different environments, rural and urban: Santana and Curitiba, respectively. The choice of study sites was selected based on the number of Poles in each location, Polish imprints in the 1 landscape, the stark differences in cultural practices and their evolution over time, and personal fascination after visiting both of these places. The thesis discusses migration patterns, and how geography affects Polish components of cultural identity that Polish-Brazilians embrace most. Was their initial plan for immigration permanent or temporary? What sectors of the economy are they involved in today? In a comparative approach, I examine both case studies, Santana and Curitiba and look at how Polish identity shifts in a larger urban setting. It takes on different forms. The research methodology of this work includes personal unstructured interviews, family archive documents, photographs, and private records. An important component of the research methodology for this analysis is an annotated translation (Kula, Assorodobraj, 1986) of letters written by Polish immigrants in Brazil (and the United States) sent home to Poland (1890-1891), Writing Home: Immigrants in Brazil and the United States 1890-1891 but also a few obtained from private family archives. These letters help demonstrate how historical, physical, and social obstacles contributed to a stronger Polish community/identity and express Polish immigrants‘ initial experience. One of the recurrent themes throughout these letters, diaries, and personal documents is the values Polish immigrants cherished most that give insight about the meaning of Polish and Polish-Brazilian identity, how it changed, and how it differed in Curitiba and Santana, an isolated village South of Curitiba where everyone speaks Polish as their first language and practices Polish traditions. The letters describe characteristics of the socio-cultural life in Brazil to which adjustment through assimilation was supposed to be made by Polish immigrants. Letters also reveal Polish immigrants‘ own expectations of how these adjustments were to be 2 accomplished. Therefore, these letters provide insight into the value system and the strengths and weaknesses of Polish cultural background. The letters in Writing Home accompanied by currencies, steamship tickets, and information leaflets, were written by emigrants from ―Congress Poland‖ who settled mostly in southern Brazil. On account of emigrants‘ lack of