Multigenerational Migratory Paths and Settling of Foreign Immigrants in Western São Paulo (1880-1950)

Abstract

What did the geographical implantation of the various contingents of immigrants who settled in the interior of São Paulo between the 1880s and 1950s depend on? This article seeks to answer this question. It starts with the recognition of an expanding agricultural frontier in the territory of São Paulo, which also meant a continuous mobility of immigrant families. Based on a series of documentary and census sources, as well as on several interviews, we elaborate a model to explain the geographical implantation of the immigrants according to some variables. We conclude that a continuously expanding agricultural frontier, together with the economic retraction and rural emptying of certain areas since the 1930s, have led to an intense displacement of families and individuals in the territory.

Migratory trajectories; Agricultural frontier; Populational displacements; Family strategies; São Paulo