Etnicidades e turismo em colônias de imigrantes japoneses: reflexões a partir dos contextos de Álvares Machado/SP e Terenos/MS

Abstract

Japanese immigration to Brazil began in 1908, meeting the demand for laborers in coffee plantations and the interests of the Japanese government, which encouraged emigration to alleviate internal economic and social issues. From their arrival, Japanese immigrants organized themselves into rural ethnic communities, which, with the urban migration, gained new characteristics through the identification of solidarity among groups from various regions in the country. This collectivity seeks to preserve its culture, language, and traditions, using its ethnicity as a mechanism for protection and social cohesion. Over generations, the ethnic boundary persisted, even as its limits shifted, resulting in a new ethnicity: the Japanese-Brazilian. The first generations of Japanese descendants faced the imposition of an ideal of "Japaneseness," which eventually gave way to cultural elements that touched on ancestry and the group's sense of belonging. This historical and cultural wealth has the potential to attract tourism interest. However, activating this attractiveness requires a careful study of the construction of this ethnicity, its migration, and the organizational capacity of the Nikkei communities. For this reason, Fals Borda's Participatory Action Research (PAR) was adopted as an inspiring methodological approach, proposing that knowledge be produced in a committed and participatory manner, aiming to qualitatively transform the lives of these people. This study was conducted in the Japanese colonies of Álvares Machado (SP) and Terenos (MS), aiming to understand these historical ethnic formations and reflect on the tourism possibilities in these communities, ensuring the preservation of their cultural manifestations. A survey of cultural manifestations was conducted as an initial step in developing a tourism action plan based on the ethnic, and therefore oppositional, relationship of Japanese-Brazilian traditions in these communities. It was found that the bonds of solidarity and cooperation among the Nikkei remained strong, even after decades of settlement in Brazilian territory. These values are upheld through family relationships, collective celebrations, and institutions that preserve ancestral customs and ensure the group’s cohesion. The research identified, in colonies such as Terenos (MS) and Álvares Machado (SP), an interest in cultural preservation and historical documentation, with tourism emerging as a tool for this purpose.

Keywords: Japanese immigration; ethnicity; Nipo-Brazilian; tourism; Participatory Action Research (PAR).