Origins of Southern Brazil: the importance of Polish immigration in Parana, 1871-1914

This paper discusses the origins of Southern Brazil focusing on the case study of Polish immigration in the state of Parana, between 1870-1920. Initially, we present an overview of immigration scientific models in Brazilian social sciences. Next, we summarize the history of Polish immigration in Parana. We discuss the social and political context at the departure areas, the impact of federal and local policies (push factors) over immigrants and their role in the development of the state. After that, we show how they are considered in ancient Polish European areas and the role they were claimed to play in the process of independence recovering of the Polish State. Finally, we present a short discussion about the distance between immigrants and emigrants in Brazilian social history.