German immigration to Brazil (19th century) and Prussia: Permeable borders and dialogues between global history and microhistory

Abstract

The following paper considers the potential advantages of the incorporation and integration of global history’s and microhistory’s approaches and perspectives in the studies on German immigration to Brazil, particularly during the 19th century. A major part studies on German immigration to Brazil have generally not considered the global and European dimensions of the phenomena, which are central aspects for the comprehension of sociocultural renegotiation processes occurred in Brazil. Through a brief discussion of Prussian society and politics, it is possible to realize that this state community cannot be absolutized and other categories must be put in place to define the migrant actors. Quite to the contrary, Prussia experienced a history of frequent mobility, regional particularism and cultural diversity that crossed and connected the Atlantic in the age of migrations. The prevalent utilization of expert literature – both applied and conceptual – and some documental sources aim at grounding the argument that the investigations conducted on the topic of German immigration to Brazil would certainly benefit from the building of a historical agenda that could integrate transnational, European and Prussian social processes with historical developments observed in Brazil. Furthermore, Prussian subjects acted and were ruled within contexts whose institutions and identities were mostly of a local/regional level. This enables historians to conduct research that emphasizes above all the micro, the strategies, the relationships and networks of social actors. However, such an approach may be understood through a perspective of an already globalized, dynamic and diverse social world.

Keywords: German immigration to Brazil, Prussia, Germany, global history, microhistory.