Autobiographical Writings by Portuguese Emigrants in Newark: Glocal Emancipation and  Resisting Stereotypes

Elsa Lechner

doi:10.21471/jls.v1i2.109

Autobiographical Writings by Portuguese Emigrants in Newark: Glocal Emancipation and Resisting Stereotypes

Elsa Lechner Universidade de Coimbra

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21471/jls.v1i2.109

Keywords: Portuguese immigration, diaspora, stigma, resistance, authorship

Abstract

This article examines the experience of Portuguese immigrants in Newark, NJ (USA) through the analysis of autobiographical writings. It aims to highlight the heuristic value and social relevance of autobiographical writings by focusing on four Portuguese immigrants in Newark who self-published their life stories. I argue that autobiographical essays serve as a form of self-valued expression in defiance of the stereotypes that associate the Portuguese immigrant with low levels of education and a lack of interest in literature and culture in general. Finally, I underscore the contribution of biographical research in the emancipation of undervalued groups and individuals.

Author Biography

Elsa Lechner, Universidade de Coimbra

Elsa Lechner is senior researcher at the Center for Social Studies, Universidade de Coimbra, where she conducts biographical research for the study of migrations. She holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (Paris, 2003), and she has been a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Brown and Rutgers Universities (2014/15).

Published

2016-11-27

Issue

Vol 1 No 2 (2016): Special Dossier Honoring Russell Hamilton

Section

Articles

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