Entre o Nordeste e São Paulo: as travessias dos migrantes nordestinos, o controle da mobilidade e o enfrentamento da insegurança estrutural (1930 – 1960)

Abstract

The central objective of this thesis is to analyze aspects of the journey made by migrant workers from the Northeast between the Northeast and São Paulo, as well as to understand their fate after being rejected in the screening and medical examination process conducted in Montes Claros. The recruitment service operated in this city by labor recruitment companies and later by the Migrant Workers' Inspectorate aimed to recruit only healthy workers for the state of São Paulo. Those who passed the exams received free train tickets. However, the number of migrants retained in Montes Claros was, at times, larger than those embarked for the aforementioned state. Based on an analysis of the sources: the Immigration and Colonization Council Magazine, the Economic and Financial Observer, the Cruzeiro Magazine, the Gazeta do Norte Newspaper, the O Estado S. Paulo Newspaper, data, interviews, and photographs from the Immigration Museum, and Jorge Amado's book "Seara Vermelha," the following hypotheses were supported. Although migrants relied on subsidies from migration services, there is evidence of a certain degree of autonomy among a percentage of these individuals who covered their travel expenses with their own resources. They also resorted to recruiters. The journey was funded by funds from the Association of Ladies of Charity. There are also those who remained in Montes Claros and played a fundamental role in the city's urban, demographic, and economic development. This research aims to contribute to an analysis that problematizes the challenges migrants faced during the crossing, due to structural insecurity, a reflection of migration control. The role of solidarity and sociability networks in this context was highlighted, as well as how migrants tactically dealt with the uncertainties that arose during the journey and resorted to strategies that allowed them to continue their journey or remain. While Montes Claros was a place of depot for migrants, it was also a place of permanence.