Perceptions of New Land Among Venetian Migrants in Brazil “Send Me a Pot for Polenta”: Biocultural Adaptation in Letters (1877–1894)

Matteo Sartori, Julia Prakofjewa (), Raivo Kalle, Nivaldo Peroni, Andrea Pieroni and Renata Sõukand
Additional contact information
Matteo Sartori: Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venezia, Italy
Julia Prakofjewa: Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venezia, Italy
Raivo Kalle: Estonian Literary Museum, Vanemuise 42, 51003 Tartu, Estonia
Nivaldo Peroni: Laboratory of Human Ecology and Ethnobotany, Department of Ecology and Zoology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88040-900, SC, Brazil
Andrea Pieroni: University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, No. 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
Renata Sõukand: Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venezia, Italy

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-23

Abstract: Human migration has driven transformative shifts in agricultural systems by reshaping how communities relate biologically and culturally to the land. Migration demands the reconfiguration of preexisting human–environment relationships, a process central to agricultural history. Understanding adaptation strategies is essential for land studies as it highlights the impact of cultural persistence on agricultural practices and the potential challenges in integrating migrant rural knowledge with local ecological systems. In the late 19th century, a significant migration wave occurred from the Veneto region in northeastern Italy to southern Brazil, significantly impacting Brazilian agri-food production. This study investigates the biocultural adaptation strategies employed by the first Veneto communities in their new Brazilian environment. Data for this research were derived from the letters sent by Veneto migrants from Brazil in the initial wave of Italian migration (1877–1894). Utilising Critical Discourse Analysis and Sentiment Analysis of migrants’ letters, we explored the Veneto settlers’ perceptions of the Brazilian landscape, agri-food production practices, and culinary traditions. Our findings show that the Brazilian environment was perceived as predominantly negative, particularly in the wilderness areas. The initial Venetian migrant settlement exhibited no genuine biocultural adaptation strategies. Instead, they deliberately resisted Brazilian influences, striving to reproduce Veneto’s agricultural model verbatim in their new surroundings. The study also opens a new trajectory in historical ethnobiology, thus suggesting new potential applications of the analysis of migrants’ letters.

Keywords: historical ethnobiology; local ecological knowledge; Brazil; Veneto; Italy; biocultural adaptation; migrants; farmers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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