“Negros em terra de italianos”: etnografia da migração de moradores da comunidade remanescente de quilombos Arnesto Penna Carneiro de Santa Maria, RS, para Caxias do Sul, RS

Abstract

This study is the result of ethnographic research that was done with residents and former residents from the remaining community of Arnesto Penna Carneiro quilombos, from Santa Maria, RS, who have migrated to the city of Caxias do Sul, RS. The study shows how goes the process of constituting these migrants identities by establishing ethnic boundaries between distinct ethnic groups, negroids from a quilombola community who turn out residing in a city that is known as to belong to Italians . The analysis of a migrant family s life trajectory and some of their relatives that meet the big city shows the many identity redefinitions to which they are subject; the farm chores, which are different from the ones in the industry; the learning of new work techniques, of socialization to an urban lifestyle; the advantages and disadvantages of living in a land of opportunities ; as well as the own notion of what it is a quilombola, as an attribution category. Furthermore, it is pointed out that these quilombolas are interacting with the Italianality that is present in the society they are inserted in and how the quilombola community, through their practices and cultural values, continues to be a reference for the everyday experiences of their former residents in Caxias do Sul. This study fits to debates on immigration, social identity and ethnicity by highlighting the relationships between distinct ethnic groups which interact in an urban context.