The South Atlantic route and the business of the maritime transport of migrants (1870-1960)

Deadline: 15th of June 2020

Questioning the interactions between actors and the issues of human mobility is a relevant approach to understanding the mechanisms of the migration process. One of the actors, the shipping companies, has been less analysed despite playing a crucial and important role in stimulating migration movements. Transnational and network historiographical perspectives have shown this importance by crossing spaces and actors to understand the business dynamic of European shipping companies in the Belle Époque’s massive migration to North America.

The analysis of the South Atlantic route, however, has been downplayed despite its importance in the international migration movement. The maritime transport of migrants in the South Atlantic route needs to be considered a privileged object of study in order to understand the global migration process. It still exists a scientific gap to understand the mechanisms of exploitation of the South Atlantic route in the perspective of longue durée – from the Belle Époque to the 1960s, when shipping companies were replaced by airlines and land routes to European destinations. At the same time, the idea that interwar period is a key-moment to the end of the migrant transport business needs to be revisited. For example, the analysis of the Portuguese case, a country with an important maritime and emigration tradition, has shown the relevance of the Portuguese emigrant maritime transport on the definition of the Portuguese shipping company strategy and of the Portuguese government after the Second World War. The participation of foreign shipping companies has been observed too — British, French, Italian, Greek — which confirms their remaining interest in this business.

The editors (Yvette Santos and Paulo César Gonçalves) intend to propose a special issue to the Journal of Transatlantic Studies, contributing to the understanding of the business of emigrant maritime transport from the Belle Epoque until the end of the 1960s. We accept proposals (in English only) focused on the study of the migration industry linked to the maritime transportation of emigrants from Europe to the South Atlantic countries.

All the researchers interested in participating in the special issue should send a proposal to the e-mails ivetesantos@fcsh.unl.pt and pc.goncalves@unesp.br until 15 June 2020, that includes:

– An abstract (maximum 500 words);
– A biographical note (300 words).

Organisation:

Yvette Santos (IHC —NOVA FCSH/Portugal)
Paulo César Gonçalves (UNESP/Brasil)

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