BETWEEN TWO WORLDS: A CASE STUDY IN CAPITALISM AND MIGRATION IN THE CENTRAL AZORES By RONALD JAMES HARDER A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 1989 The Azores Islands Source: Adapted from F. Pereira, (1982). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The people who in various ways assisted, provided encouragement, and in other ways helped from the inception of this project to its completion are numerous. The study would not have been carried out at all without the support of Antdnio Francisco de Andrade and Maria Jesus de Andrade who stimulated our initial interest in the Azores through the gift of a picture book and the recounting of numerous stories about their home islands. They also furnished the house in which we lived for a year and sent home letters of introduction which were indispensable in establishing us on Faial. Jorge Manuel Andrade Dias provided valuable logistical as well as quantitative support throughout our stay on the islands. Jose Joaquim de Andrade was a constant source of information and his appearance at our door always turned a bleak winter day into a memorable experience. Helia Oliveira and Mario Pereira Dias took time from their busy schedules when we first arrived to show us around the island. Robert Silverman and Jane Silverman provided a home away from home and pleasant company when we came to Faial from Pico for extended stays. The support that the above people and their families provided us is greatly appreciated. The director of services at the Departamento Regional de Estudos e Planeamento do Azores, Jose Monjardino, gave us access to the comprehensive data the department had compiled on the islands. iii Dr. Monjardino also gave freely of his time when we arrived unexpectedly at his office and overwhelmed him with questions, all of which he patiently and informatively answered. Helder Marques da Silva, at the Departmento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Universidade dos Agores provided data on fishing and EEC maritime policy in the Azores. Carlos Cordeiro of the Universidade dos Agores eagerly discussed some gaps in Azorean history that I found puzzling and reinforced my drive to carry on when he described the Azores as "old world but new system." Mario Avila Gomes contributed information on the political situation in the Azores and Portuguese history. The staff at the public libraries in Horta, Angra do Heroismo, Ponta Delgada and the Whaling Museum in Lajes, Pico helped us find references and allowed us to make copies of archival materials. A fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada supported the research and I gratefully acknowledge the assistance that they provided me. I am especially indebted to the chair of my committee. Professor Paul Doughty, for providing the intellectual space and the motivation to pursue this study. Professor Anthony Oliver-Smith read various drafts of uncompleted chapters and always returned the drafts with important insights and notes on omissions. Professor Allan Burns was extremely helpful in areas related to cultural inquiry and his critical comments were well taken. Professor Norman Markel allowed me to present some early theoretical material at informal seminars at his house that eventually found its way into this thesis. Professor Charles Wood, through his seminar on developmental issues in Latin America, exposed me to theoretical material that allowed me to formulate my insights on political economy. Professor Marvin Harris read IV early drafts of Chapters 2 and 3 and many of his comments were incorporated in the final draft. It was a desperate and frantic year in the Department of Anthropology's graduate program as we struggled to finish our dissertations and find meaningful employment. The following students shared these times with me: Lois Stanford, Sondra Wentzel, Robert Shanafelt, Lois Randolph, Manuel Vargas and Barbara Hendry. I also refined certain theoretical problems through discussions with Edward Sirianni. The research on which this dissertation is based was a collaborative effort. Roberta Goldman and I together developed the research objectives, lived through an unforgettable field experience, and bore each other's anxieties as we wrote our dissertations. Beyond providing excellent and informed company with whom to work out my ideas, Roberta's love and emotional support gave me the energy to work my way through this thesis. Words of thanks are not enough to acknowledge the support and assistance she has provided me in our time together. I alone am accountable for any errors that this dissertation may contain. v TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT • i x CHAPTERS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 The Azores 7 The Islands Today 13 Migration History 18 2 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 26 Periodization 31 Analytical Framework 37 3 PORTUGAL' S AGRICULTURAL CRISIS AND LABOR MIGRATION, 1300-1425 73 Portugal in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries 83 European Feudalism 99 4 THE COLONIZATION OF THE AZORES: THE ORIGINS OF A WAY OF LIFE 106 The Atlantic Islands 108 Circulatory Theory and the Productive Dialog 129 5 THE INTRODUCTION OF A SOCIAL SYSTEM: THE SETTLEMENT OF THE AZORES 134 Economic Expansion and Environmental Contingencies 39 Colonial Enterprise vi 6 THE COMMODITIES: THE CYCLICAL NATURE OF THE AZOREAN ECONOMY, 1443-1700 169 Wheat 172 Pastel 182 Corn 194 Seventeenth Century Migration 196 7 THE TRANSITION FROM OLD WORLD DEPENDENCY TO NEW WORLD GROWTH, 1700-1925 201 Portuguese Empire in the Eighteenth Century 205 The Azores in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries 210 The Twin Economies of Pico and Faial 217 Whaling and the Ethnic Factor 226 Migrant Labor to the United States 234 8 THE PORTUGUESE STATE AND MIGRATION, 1926-1976 238 The State 243 Salazar and Corporativism 248 Migration to Canada 252 Migration to the United States 255 The State and Remittances 260 9 CULTURAL EXPRESSION IN THE AZORES 267 The Concept of Culture 270 The Genesis of a Migrant Culture 289 10 THE ESPIRITO SANTO AND COMMUNITY SOLIDARITY 307 An Egalitarian Identity 309 The Historical Development of the Espirito Santo 312 The Espirito Santo and Outmigration 316 The Change in Musical Tradition 318 The Espirito Santo in Transition 322 11 EUROPEAN ECONOMIC EXPANSION AND DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGE, 1976-1988 334 The European Economic Community 335 Azorean Development 33g vii 12 MODERNIZATION AND THE PEASANT ECONOMY 366 Social Change and Development 371 13 THE DREAM IS OVER 394 The Initiation to Commodity Fetishism 396 The Migrant Dilemma 400 APPENDICES A METHODS 405 B CHRONOLOGY 415 C TOBACCO ON THE AZORES 417 D FLEMISH CULTURAL INFLUENCE 421 E POPULATION 424 F MATANQA DO PORCO 426 G THE INCORPORATION OF THE ISLAND SYSTEM 430 REFERENCES BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 467 vm Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy BETWEEN TWO WORLDS: A CASE STUDY IN CAPITALISM AND MIGRATION IN THE CENTRAL AZORES By RONALD JAMES HARDER AUGUST, 1989 Chairman: Paul Doughty Major Department: Anthropology This dissertation examines patterns of out-migration from the Azores, Portugal. Using a historical perspective, out-migration from the islands is presented as a phenomenon that must be understood within the larger context of the global economy. It is argued that Azorean labor migration is directly related to commodity specialization on the islands. The collapse of successive island commodities is attributed to the movement of capital, the growth of manufacturing industry, and market expansion to accommodate this growth. On the Azores, out-migration to the Americas became a way of life as the islands were initiated into the world of commodity production. This migration pattern began shortly after the islands were settled and continues to the present. IX Three different phases of Azorean labor history are examined: the merchant capital phase (1443-1700) when the islands were incorporated into the European economy through commodity production; the industrial phase (1800-1974) when commodity production declined on the islands and Azoreans migrated to industrial centers in North America; and the present phase of European Economic Integration (1976-1988) when out-migration has come to a temporary halt as a result of regional development. The economic discussion provides a conceptual framework that is used to examine Azorean culture. Because of the long history of labor migration the Azorean community is spatially separated. Despite this geographical separation, Azoreans who reside in North America and those who have remained behind on the islands share a common cultural identity. This collective identity maintenance is examined within the context of ritual participation. Ritual practise has been transformed as a result of outmigration as Azoreans who return to the islands invest some of their savings in ritual performance. The concluding chapters discuss how the relationship between the migrant community in North America and the Azorean sending community might be undermined as a result of European economic integration. The study was carried out during fifteen months of field research in 1987/1988 on two different Azorean islands. Data for the study was obtained from archival, quantitative and participant-observation sources. x INTRODUCTION This dissertation examines migrational patterns to and from the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. In order to elucidate why for almost four hundred years out-migration has been a constant feature of Azorean life, I have developed a historical framework to attempt to explain the reoccurring cycles of human migrations. While throughout Azorean history there has been a continuous trickle of people leaving the islands, the major demographic movements correspond to boom/bust cycles in the local and national economy; these cycles can in turn be related to larger trends in the global economy. During periods of prosperity and economic growth, people tend to remain on the islands.