A tipografia da montanha do sol: imigração, imprensa e educação de letões em Varpa-SP (1925–1941)

Abstract

The Varpa colony, founded in 1922 in the Alta Paulista region, was predominantly composed of Latvian immigrants of Baptist Protestant tradition, motivated by socioeconomic and religious factors. To preserve cultural ties and education, a printing house was established, producing publications in the Latvian language. This study aimed to analyze the process of Brazilian cultural integration, the preservation of cultural elements from the homeland, and the deprovincialization experienced by Latvian immigrants and the communities they interacted with. The research examined the periodicals Meera Vehsts, Rihta Rasa, Jaunais Lihdumneeks, and Kristigs Draugs, focusing on themes such as health, mortality, subsistence, politics, history, and literature through texts published between 1925 and 1941. In addition to printed materials from the Latvian press, auxiliary sources included documents from the Janis Erdberg Museum archives, the Latvian Digital Library, the Library of the Brazilian Association of Latvian Culture, the Fazenda Palma archives, and private family collections. To engage with these sources, the study was grounded in the works by Chartier (2022, 2007, 2014), Burke (2017), Luchese and Malikoski (2021), Gondra (2005), and Elias (2011), among others addressing immigrant publications and education. Methodologically, it relied on concepts from Chartier (2002), De Certeau (2017, 2014), Le Goff (2013), Bloch (2001), and Luca (2020). The Latvian press, initiated by Rosenbergs and Buckmanis, facilitated adaptation to the new homeland by emphasizing topics such as health treatments and hygienic education through circulating contemporary scientific findings. It also supported the acquisition of knowledge about the region's natural characteristics and subsistence strategies. The selection of Brazilian historical and literary aspects served as a tool to understand the culture of the host country. Consequently, issues such as geographical determinism, local conflicts, social exclusion, and survival in adverse environments enabled immigrants to deepen their understanding of Brazilian society's complexities. In addition to printed publications, visual arts and other artistic expressions incorporated cultural elements and helped construct and express a Latvian-Brazilian identity. However, evidence suggested that a literary association triggered opposition to prevailing norms within the colony, hinting at power struggles that permeated the community's internal organization. The global political climate of the 1930s was extensively discussed in articles that reinforced ethnic identity, driven by strategies of the Latvian consulate. There was criticism of the Russian invasion, the violent incorporation of Latvia into the Soviet bloc, and communism. With the advent of the Estado Novo and its nationalist ideology imposing restrictive policies on foreign press activities, the printing press ceased operations in January 1941. Thus, these periodicals became essential for preserving Baptist religious values and culture while also representing the process of deprovincialization of Latvian immigrants and the communities they interacted with. This research contributes to immigration studies by exploring the reproduction and preservation of homeland traditions, as well as the challenges encountered in the host land. In this case, the study focused on the Latvian press, through which it was possible to understand some tactics employed by Latvians upon settling in São Paulo's interior.