Who are the Brasiguaios?

The Brasiguaios (“Brazilian +Paraguayan”) is a group of people living predominantly within the Brazil and Paraguay shared border region. The lives of Brasiguaios are marked by the pursuit of a piece of land for subsistence in both countries. The history of Brazilian immigration to Paraguay began in the 1950s, and intensified in the 1960s and 1970s. The relations between Brazilians and the Paraguayan population produced new forms of ethnic-national identifications within the border region, especially on the Paraguayan side.

In 2009, a large number of Brasiguaios returned from Paraguay to Brazil with the support of the Brazilian Landless Rural Worker’s Landless Movement (MST). They joined the landless camp Antonio Irmão in Itaquiraí -MS. Soon, the landless camps became known in the region as the Acampamento dos Brasiguaios (“Brasiguaios Landless camp"). As of 2023, this group of people was still not settled by Brazilian Land Reform Agency (INCRA). Although some families remained in the landless camp, many families re-emigrated within Brazil, and other families returned to Paraguay.

Once I completed my PhD fieldwork, I produced the award-winning ethnographic film Brasiguaios: Transnational Lives and Identities. The trailer and full version of the film can be found on YouTube. To access the film’s trailer click here, and to access the full version, click here

Awards