From ethnic settlement to cultural coexistence: German and Japanese gaúchos in Ivoti and indicators of culturally symbiotic place-making

摘要

This paper presents an ethnographic account of German and Japanese Brazilians in themunicipality of Ivoti, located in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area, the southernmost part ofBrazil. The aim of this paper is to show how the regional identity of Rio Grande do Sul, the socalledgaúcho identity, transcends the racial, ethnic and historical backgrounds of immigrantgroups. Gaúcho identity functions to create a cultural symbiotic space between German andJapanese Brazilians in the Ivoti municipality. First, this article provides a historical explanationof the construction of the gaúcho identity in Rio Grande do Sul. Then, after providing thehistory of German and Japanese settlements, I describe how their gaúcho-ness envelops theircommunity. Finally, I conclude with my reflections on their transition from ethnic settlementsto cultural coexistence and its connection with pre-existing theories of ethnicity.