The Japanese colony in Santos (1908-1945): training and development in a city in transformation

Abstract

The present article has as aim to analyze the trajectory of theJapanese immigrants and their relationship with the urban environment in thecity of Santos, in São Paulo coast-line, between 1908 and 1945. This periodrepresents the years when the Japanese people did arrive at the town until theywere expelled due to Getúlio Vargas’ nationalist politic of Estado Novo. Duringthose years, the city has suffered changes in its environment, in plain process oftransition and modernization. In order to investigate it, this research was basedon the theoretical approach of some authors like Tomoo Handa who tries tocomprehend the history of Japanese migration to Brazil, Hiroshi Saito, whodefends the periodization of Japanese migration to Brazil, theory pertinent tothe present work, Zeila de Brito Fabri Demartini that works with Japaneseeducation in the state of São Paulo and on the master dissertation defended in2011 by the present author about the Japanese education in the city of Santos.The methodology of this study has several data sources, such as documentalmaterial from public and private archives and oral history interviews, withquestionnaires to obtain resumed histories of life with thematic focus. In thiscase, the interviews were realized during the dissertation work in 2010 and 2011.The text has concluded that the Japanese migrants occupied periphery spaces todevelop their economical activities. They achieved progress as time went byand attracted other immigrants arrived in Brazil. However, the progress wasinterrupted by the politics of Estado Novo in the beginning of 40’s.