From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela
1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
aindax@gmail.com
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
Presentation
1. Guide Lines.
2. Brief historical notes on cultural diffusion in Portugal.
3. The cultural baggage of the Portuguese Community.
a. The model of cultural promotion.
b. The model of cultural entertainment.
4. Brief conclusions.
5. Bibliography.
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
Guide lines of the historical discourse
1. General Line:
 The Role of Emigrants in the diffusion and representation of their own culture.
2. Temporal context:


The study begins in the 1940, when the first initiatives of association and cultural
diffusion took place within the Portuguese community in Venezuela.
The final date is just for taking distance from the object of study.
3. Spatial context:




A space for the construction and transfer of patterns from Portugal.
A space of interaction between the Venezuelan society and the Portuguese
community.
A space of internal diffusion such as the community centers.
The highlight: the CPC due to the high frequency of activities.
4. Research:
 These are results of an unpublished work based on oral history in 2004 – 2006.
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
Guide lines of the historical discourse
Trend of networking facilitates:
a. Ancestral social patterns.
b. Mechanisms of internal coalition.
c. Structures of interaction vis-à-vis the host society…
=> Defense of Patronymic.
…reinforcing a notion of permanence
=> Institutionalization of the cultural difussion.
a. Ancestral social patterns => Ideological action of cultural policies directed from
the Portuguese State.
b. Mechanisms of internal coalition => Representation of native values as a
necessary benchmark to maintain the group’s identity.
c. Structures of interaction vis-á-vis the host society => the models of cultural
action: Promotion and entertainment.
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
Brief historical notes on cultural diffusion in Portugal.
The historical context is influenced by the action of the Portuguese State, in particular
by the Estado Novo and the Politica do Espirito.
Importance of the institutional framework:
a. to impress upon the population the ethnographic identification.
b. to show off to the world a nationalist country deeply immersed in thought of
the heroes of its epic history.
Relevant aspects:
a. the institutional differences between high culture and popular culture.
b. the geo-political scope of the cultural activities: the back-up of elite culture
abroad; and the popular culture both within Portugal and in the emigrants
communities.
c. the aftermath of the principles of separating the cultural activity.
d. the transformation of their objetives without ideological content but with the
same official concern.
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
The cultural baggage of the Portuguese Community.
The emigrant as an agent of cultural diffusion:
a. he assumes the responsibility for defending his culture as the only national one
seeing himself as the agent and as representation of the Portuguese citizen
model.
b. his attitude is not a political affiliation with the dictatorial ideas or with the
metropolitan government but a national personalization he needs.
The Portuguese emigrant community and its cultural models:
a. there is a merging of dictatorship meanings of elite and popular culture.
b. there is an overemphasis on the practice of his identity values.
c. there are differences between the two models as well as between both agent
and consumer of the cultural activity.
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
The cultural baggage of the Portuguese Community.
Promotion: edition as highlight product
Object
Diffusion
Agent
Promoters: Inst. Camões (official); Casa
de Portugal, Sociedade de Amigos das
Artes e Cultura Portuguesas; Instituto
Portugués de Cultura (local)
Function Plan, promote and show
Scope
Official, official-private
Cultural Elite (Fine arts, literature and cinema.
area
Academics, cultural lectures. Portuguese
language and history )
Entertainment: feast of the people
Catalization
Entertainers: local theater groups, music,
dance, age oriented meetings, regional and
gastronomic associations, etc. Some official
support from Portugal
Participate, act and entertain
Private
Popular
(Folklore,
oral
tradition,
interpretational
Improvisation,
sketch
exchange, innovation)
Scale
From the folkloric group or individual
initiatives to the community
(micro to macro)
Associative culture, dynamic output
Policy
Places
From Portugal to the Portuguese
communities in foreign soil
(macro to micro)
Institutional culture, restricted output
Schools, foundations, museums, galleries, Social clubs, public squares, private
universities, science institutes, book fairs, or religious parties, sports centers, collective
libraries, diplomatic facilities, etc.
meetings, etc.
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
The cultural baggage of the Portuguese Community.
Promotion: edition as highlight product
Object
Diffusion
Agent
Promoters: Inst. Camões (official); Casa
de Portugal, Sociedade de Amigos das
Artes e Cultura Portuguesas; Instituto
Portugués de Cultura (local)
Function Plan, promote and show
Scope
Official, official-private
Cultural Elite (Fine arts, literature and cinema.
area
Academics, cultural lectures. Portuguese
language and history )
Entertainment: feast of the people
Catalization
Entertainers: local theater groups, music,
dance, age oriented meetings, regional and
gastronomic associations, etc. Some official
support from Portugal
Participate, act and entertain
Private
Popular
(Folklore,
oral
tradition,
interpretational
Improvisation,
sketch
exchange, innovation)
Scale
From the folkloric group or individual
initiatives to the community
(micro to macro)
Associative culture, dynamic output
Policy
Places
From Portugal to the Portuguese
communities in foreign soil
(macro to micro)
Institutional culture, restricted output
Schools,
foundations,
museums, Social clubs, public squares, private
galleries, universities, science institutes, or religious parties, sports centers, collective
book fairs, libraries, diplomatic facilities, meetings, etc.
etc.
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
The cultural baggage of the Portuguese Community.
Promotion: edition as highlight product
Object
Diffusion
Agent
Promoters: Inst. Camões (official); Casa
de Portugal, Sociedade de Amigos das
Artes e Cultura Portuguesas; Instituto
Portugués de Cultura (local)
Function Plan, promote and show
Scope
Official, official-private
Cultural Elite (Fine arts, literature and cinema.
area
Academics, cultural lectures. Portuguese
language and history )
Entertainment: feast of the people
Catalization
Entertainers: local theater groups, music,
dance, age oriented meetings, regional and
gastronomic associations, etc. Some official
support from Portugal
Participate, act and entertain
Private
Popular
(Folklore,
oral
tradition,
interpretational Improvisation, sketch
exchange, innovation)
Scale
From the folkloric group or individual
initiatives to the community
(micro to macro)
Associative culture, dynamic output
Policy
Places
From Portugal to the Portuguese
communities in foreign soil
(macro to micro)
Institutional culture, restricted output
Schools, foundations, museums, galleries, Social clubs, public squares, private
universities, science institutes, book fairs, or religious parties, sports centers,
libraries, diplomatic facilities, etc.
collective meetings, etc.
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
Brief conclusions.
a. a tendency to reinvigorate the Portuguese culture through the
constant representation of values considered traditional, as much in
the elite classes as in the popular groups.
b. a restitution of values without a political character but to satisfies
the needs of the community to maintain its ties with its homeland,
in order to guarantee its own identity vis-à-vis the host society.
c. the two models both promotion and entertainment are presented
and although there are differences between them, they perform
combined activities.
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
Bibliography.
Archive:
1. Archivo del Instituto Portugués de Cultura
2. Aquí Portugal (Magazine for the Portuguese Community)
3. Boletín del CPC (Magazine of the Centro Portugués de Caracas)
4. Camões. Revista de letras e culturas lusófonas.
5. Comunidade (Magazine for the Portuguese Community)
6. Correio de Caracas (Portuguese Community Weekly Newspaper)
7. Ecos de Portugal (Portuguese Community Weekly Newspaper)
8. El Universal (Venezuelan daily newspaper)
9. Portugal. Boletín informativo de artes y letras
10. Revista del XIV Festival del Folclore Portugués
11. Zarco (Magazine for the Portuguese Community)
12. 30Días (Magazine for the Portuguese Community)
António de Abreu Xavier
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
Bibliography.
1. Abreu Xavier, A. (2001). "Catástrofe! La sociedad se organiza", en Ensayos Históricos. Rev. del
Instituto de Estudios Hispanoamericanos. Caracas: IEH, Nº 13, pp.105-124.
2. Abreu Xavier, A. (2004). "Dictadura, Inmigración y política familiar (António de Oliveira Salazar
y el Breviário da Pátria para os portugueses ausentes, 1946)", en Dora Dávila Mendoza
(Coord.), Historia, Género y familia en Iberoamérica. Caracas: Fundación Konrad AdenauerUniv. Católica Andrés Bello, pp.325-368.
3. Almeida, V. de (1997). "Marialvismo, Fado, touros e saudade como discursos da
masculinidade, da hierarquia social e da identidade nacional", en Trabalhos de Antropologia e
Etnologia. Porto: Nº 37, pp.41-65.
4. Berglund, S. y H. Hernández C. (1985). Los de afuera. Un estudio analítico del proceso
migratorio en Venezuela. Caracas: Centro de Estudios de Pastoral y Asistencia Migratoria.
5. Brislin, R. (1986). Cross Cultural Encounters in Face-to-Face Interactions. New York: Pergamon
Press.
6. Carvalho, R. de (1987). Las Gaviotas no toman Coca-Cola. Caracas: Carlos Aponte.
7. Cassola Ribeiro, F. G. (1986). Emigração Portuguesa. Aspectos relevantes relativos às políticas
adoptadas no domínio da emigração portuguesa, desde a última Guerra mundial. Contribuição
para o seu estudo. Lisboa: Secretaria de Estado das Comunidades Portuguesas.
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
Bibliography.
8. Cassola Ribeiro, F. G. (1983). "La emigración portuguesa para países de América Latina", en
Migraciones latinas y formación de la nación latinoamericana. Caracas: Univ. Simón Bolívar-Inst. de
Altos Estudios de América Latina, pp.521-533.
9. Castro Leal, E. (1994). António Ferro. Espaço político e Imaginário social. Lisboa: Cosmos.
10. Chartier, R. (1999). El mundo como representación. Barcelona: Gedisa.
11. Elias, N. (1997). El proceso de la civilización. Bogotá: FCE.
12. Geertz, C. (1995). La interpretación de las culturas. Barcelona: Gedisa.
13. Martín, G. (1992). Metódica y melódica de la animación cultural. Caracas: Alfadil.
14. Mille, N. (1965). 20 años de 'Musiues'. Caracas: Editorial Sucre.
15. Neto, F. (1986). A migração portuguesa vivida e representada. Contribuição para o estudo dos
projectos migratórios. Porto: Secretaria de Estado das Comunidades Portuguesas.
16. Paulo, H. (2000). Aqui também é Portugal. Coimbra: Quarteto.
17. Pereira Bastos, J. y S. (1999). Portugal multicultural. Lisboa: Fin de século.
18. Ramos de Ó, J. (1999). Os anos de Ferro. Lisboa: Editorial Estampa.
19. Santos, V. (2004). O Discurso oficial do Estado sobre a Emigração dos anos 60 a 80 e Imigração dos
anos 90 à actualidade. Lisboa: Observatório da Imigração.
From Books to Folkloric Groups
The Portuguese and the cultural diffusion in Venezuela, 1945-2000
António de Abreu Xavier
Bibliography.
20. Saraiva, J. H. (1989). Historia de Portugal. Madrid: Alianza editorial.
21. Serrão, J. (1982). A emigração portuguesa. Lisboa: Libros Horizonte.
Internet:
1. Gomes, C. (2001): “Turismo e Folclore”. En: Revista electrónica Raíces de Portugal.
Consultado el 6-6-2001 en http//www.raizesdeportugal.com.br/cgomes/turismo.htm
2. Marques Guedes, A. (1999): “Continuidades e transformações na política cultural
internacional do Estado”. En: Workings Papers 7/99, Universidade Nova de Lisboa,
Faculdade de Direito. Consultado el 12-8-2002 en http//www.fd.unl.pt/pt/wps/wp00700.doc
3. Soerio de Carvalho, J. (2001): “A Nação folclórica: projecção nacional, política cultural e
etnicidade em Portugal”. En: Revista Transcultural de Música. Consultado el 12-8-2001
en http//www.sibetrans.com/trans/trans2/soeiro.htm