From Bangladesh to southern Brazil: dimensions of contemporary immigration in Brazil

Abstract

The article analyzes the immigration of Bengalis to southern Brazil. It is a recent immigration flow that attracts much attention of the autochthonous population due to the possibility of being confused as Indians, for moving from far away and choosing Brazil. This research emphasizes Bengalis’ migration as part of the globalization phenomena due to the absence of historical-cultural ties between Brazil and Bangladesh. Bengalis are immigrants fully inserted in the formal labor market, but ties or processes of social integration were not found among them. Bengalis experience several limitations, especially terms of language fluency, the understanding of cultural processes and sociability.