Brazilian immigration in France: from historical types to contemporary migratory modalities

Abstract

The current scenario of intense capital mobility has been accompanied by increasing international population displacements. Social changes experienced in recent decades have introduced greater complexity in the phenomenon of international migration, which takes place under a “new logic”, particularly the expansion of the world market, and the dispersion of industry and the production of goods and services. In this context, this article reflects on Brazilian immigration in France after 1980, considering the different migratory modalities that make up this flow. These modalities are redefining the logic of Brazil’s insertion in the international migration framework. The multifaceted character of emigration of Brazilians to France reveals that, beyond the historical
linkages between the two countries, the new logic of migration on the world geopolitical scenario of this century will result in a more diversified flow of Brazilians toward France. Field research conducted in France in 2012 with eighty two Brazilians immigrants showed a diversity of migrants and migratory modalities profiles. These migratory modalities were engendered from an analysis of migratory projects and reconstructed through semi-structured interviews with immigrants.

DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.20947/S0102-309820160007