Urban Frontiers: Migration from the Coffee-Growing Southeast and Disputes of Belonging in Rio de Janeiro (1920-1960).
Migration, Black, Family
The first two chapters of this dissertation explore the Black migrations from the Paraíba
Valley to the city of Rio de Janeiro between the 1920s and 1960s, examining how these
movements were shaped by family ties, networks of solidarity, and experiences of
racialization. Taking as a guiding thread the life trajectory of Nilo Chagas — singer and
member of the Trio de Ouro — we focus on his professional, familial, and emotional
strategies that enabled his insertion into the capital. This narrative unfolds into a broader
analysis of the networks that sustained Black migrants in the urban space, allowing
them to resist mechanisms of surveillance and exclusion, gain access to housing and
employment, and transform suburban neighborhoods into territories of belonging.
Music emerges as a crucial element, not only as a form of cultural expression but also as
a path to social mobility and the reconfiguration of racial relations in everyday life.
Alongside this, the chapters discuss the differences between the trajectories of Black
and white migrants, the conflicts and intersections among these groups, and the
exchanges of information between countryside and city that shaped migration decisions.
These chapters demonstrate that migration was less an isolated act and more a collective
and planned process, through which families and communities sought to broaden their
horizons, ensure mutual protection, and inscribe their presence in the city, leaving
lasting marks on the social and cultural history of Rio de Janeiro.