The integration of the Italian immigrants to the politics of Rio Grande do Sul in the former-Colony Silveira Martins

Abstract

The article analyzes the difficult integration of the Italian immigrants of the former colony Silveira Martins, in Rio Grande do Sul, to the politics and nationality in the end of the XIX century and first decades of the XX century. Our glance privileged the State’s and the Catholic Church’s actions. The reflections that permeate the text are interdisciplinary and prioritize the ethnic and the national and social identities issues. The immigrants had to negotiate with the Brazilian culture, without assimilating it completely. They remained dispersed, dialoguing with several cultures, an aspect that reveals the current pluralization of the national culture and identities.