À redescoberta das raízes: relações entre os Açores e a diáspora (Rio Grande do Sul, 1976-2016)

Abstract

This thesis discusses the relations between Rio Grande do Sul and the Azores, pointing out political and geographic links between the parties, especially after the political-administrative autonomy of the Archipelago, in 1976. Throughout the text, it will be inevitable not to go back in time to understand the path of the Azoreans in Rio Grande do Sul, when, in the mid-eighteenth century, Portuguese islanders were destined to populate the territories of Portuguese America, a strategy to ensure the possession of lands belonging to Portugal. Such a digression will be a support to understand the unfolding of this history, throughout the 20th century, of the formation of ethnic identity, the “Azorianity”, which is evidenced in intrinsic themes to the issue of the population of space. It is, therefore, a translocal and connected history, having as its main methodological contribution the interpretative analysis of texts and documents generated by public and private institutions. It presents ethnicity, “Azoreanity”, memory and tradition as components. It shows a synthesis of the historical process on the autonomy of the Azores Archipelago, demonstrations and main movements that supported the journey for liberation and, later, the conquest as an Autonomous Region of Portugal. For this reason, “Atlanticness” will be analyzed as an important factor in the island's history and insular economy, evidenced in the connections with the Azorean diaspora. It emphasizes the support of the Regional Government of the Azores to the Azoreans of the diaspora, in the interrelationships that promote the discovery and rediscovery of the Azorean roots in the communities that migrated to the Portuguese mainland and to other countries. It concludes that memory and tradition are elements that underlie actions and relationships exemplified by the people of Rio Grande do Sul, supporting the movement, by promoting the recognition and appreciation of the gaucho Azoreanity, through institutions established in Rio Grande do Sul.