From ethnic settlement to cultural coexistence: German and Japanese gaúchos in Ivoti and indicators of culturally symbiotic place-making

Journal article

This paper presents an ethnographic account of German and Japanese Brazilians in the municipality of Ivoti, located in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area, the southernmost part of Brazil. The aim of this paper is to show how the regional identity of Rio Grande do Sul, the socalled gaúcho identity, transcends the racial, ethnic and historical backgrounds of immigrant groups. Gaúcho identity functions to create a cultural symbiotic space between German and Japanese Brazilians in the Ivoti municipality. First, this article provides a historical explanation of the construction of the gaúcho identity in Rio Grande do Sul. Then, after providing the history of German and Japanese settlements, I describe how their gaúcho-ness envelops their community. Finally, I conclude with my reflections on their transition from ethnic settlements to cultural coexistence and its connection with pre-existing theories of ethnicity.

Authors: Yokoyama, Y

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Anthropological Society of Oxford
• Journal: Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford Online
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 92-109
• Publication date: 2020-01-01
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-gogoqo5qp
• ISSN: 2040-1876
• Language: English
• Keywords: JASO