News from the colony: the dissemination of the colonization project of Colonizadora Meyer in the German and Rio Grande do Sul press (1902-1903)

Abstract

Transatlantic e/immigration in the nineteenth century until the middle of the twentieth century, in addition to population displacement, put into circulation the writings of itself - letters, travel reports, autobiographies -, with the purpose of sending news to those who remained. These private writings contributed to promote emigration and the propaganda of the colonies in formation, or to denounce the situation of emigrants abroad. In this context, the present study deals with German e/immigration and private colonization in the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul in the beginning of the 20th century. Its objective is to analyze the representations of the colony and its settlers present in the writings of German immigrants, established in the private colony Neu-Württemberg, municipality of Cruz Alta and Palmeira, gathered and published in the Korrespondenzblatt von Dr. Herrmann Meyer’s Ackerbaukolonien, published in Leipzig, Germany, in May 1903, with two numbers. This is a reproduction of articles and letters from German immigrants published in the German press and in the ethnic press of Rio Grande do Sul, selected by Herrmann Meyer, owner of the Colonization Company Dr. Hermann Meyer, put into circulation with the aim of publicizing their colonization enterprise and attracting/convincing potential emigrants. Therefore, the material studied brings signs of the colonization project; delimits the place of speech and the social networks of Meyer; opens space for speech of the immigrant, represented by the colonist and the woman; and highlights the role of the press in the popularization of possible destinies for German e/immigrants in the South of Brazil.