Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the role of electronic technologies in the migration movements between Portugal and Brazil in the last 5 years. It explores the knowledge generated in Portugal, the targeting strategies and the uses of the information displayed to discuss this specific two way migration route.

Paper long abstract:

For the last five years, Portugal is experiencing significant emigration flows due to the economic crisis and an aggressive political campaign aimed at attracting specific immigrant groups from all over the world potentially interested in investing in the country. Electronic technologies play a significant role in these processes, by strategically producing and displaying knowledge, not only about opportunities abroad, but also about the attractiveness of Portugal for high middle class families and businessman from all over the world. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in the last three years, this paper will explore the particular case of the Atlantic crossings between Portugal and Brazil, a country with which Portugal shares long and intense emigration and immigration experiences. It will focus on:

a) The knowledge generated and made available concerning Portugal as an attractive immigration context to the Brazilian high middle classes;

b) The knowledge generated and made available concerning Brazil as an attractive emigration context to the Portuguese young middle classes;

c) The targeting strategies at play which allow the simultaneous exploration of Portuguese pulling and pushing aspects;

d) And how prospective Portuguese and Brazilian migrants interact with and use the information displayed to feed imaginaries and expectations and plan their future movements.